Unofficial SAT Word Dictionary (J-Z)

lithe

adj. bending easily and gracefully The gymnast was so lithe that she dismounted without a sound. The dancer was as lithe as a cat as he leapt across the stage.

laconic

adj. brief, using few words Benjamin's laconic speech habits gave him a reputation for thoughtfulness and intelligence. The fictional heroes of the Old West were usually cowboys who spoke laconically, if at all. (adv.)

lethal

adj. capable of causing death; fatal or deadly Capital punishment in the United States relies heavily upon lethal injection. Prescription drugs and alcohol can be a lethal combination.

lucid

adj. clear; easy to understand My math teacher gives such lucid explanations that I do well on every test. After the accident, Joe was not quite lucid for several minutes.

juncture

n. a decisive or crucial point What is the juncture in time for the new millennium? Is it 2000 or 2001? At this juncture in college, a decision must be made whether to stay or leave.

junket

n. a dessert, an excursion by officials to gather facts She ordered vanilla junket for dessert. A congressional junket took them to the smaller countries in Asia.

lexicon

n. a dictionary; vocabulary terms used in or of a particular profession, subject, or style The lexicon used by air traffic controllers is incomprehensible to non-pilots: "downwind by twenty-seven, hold three twenty at two thousand, traffic a t eleven o'clock, two miles." Sailors have a nautical lexicon; "port" means left, "starboard" means right, "bow" means front, and "stern" means rear.

lattice

n. crossed wooden or metal strips arranged in a diagonal pattern The lattice formed an attractive fence around the garden. George built many attractive lattice designs to encourage the growth of his roses.

lineage

n. descendants of a particular ancestor or family Charlotte's lineage reverts to the Mayflower passenger list. Henry was checking his lineage through genealogy sources when he discovered he was of royal blood.

kin

n. family relationship; relative Through genetic research, we are searching for other kin somewhere in the world. After the automobile accident the police could not release the victim's name to the press until the next of kin was notified.

juggernaut

n. large overpowering destructive force or object The first atom bomb proved to be a juggernaut that destroyed entire cities. Uncontrollable winds are juggernauts, causing various types of destruction.

lampoon

v. to attack or ridicule someone in a satirical way In a humorous skit, the comedian lampooned the president. When the boss leaves the office, Sylvester always lampoons the poor man's lisp.

jeopardize

v. to put into hazard, risk, or imperil Not having an attorney review a complex real estate contract could jeopardize the sale. Bryan did not want to jeopardize his family on a boating trip, so he made sure all the required safety equipment was aboard his vessel.

loll

v. to recline in a relaxed manner, to hang loose, droop, dangle The dog stood in the heat with his tongue lolling. George has been lolling around the house all day, causing great concern to his parents.

lobby

v. to try to prompt legislative action; to exert influence Many groups have been lobbying Congress to change the gun laws. The group of college students went to the White House to lobby against another war.

knell

n. a clear resonant sound; a bell, especially at a funeral The knell tolled loudly to notify the town of a funeral fo the mayor. The bells in the center of town knelled a warning the back was being robbed. (v.)

jubilation

n. a feeling of great happiness; exultation The winner of the lottery showed her jubilation by jumping up and down screaming, "Hooray!" The crowd expressed its jubilation by throwing streamers and confetti as their winning team paraded by them.

lethargy

n. a lack of energy; laziness; sluggishness; torpor Lethargy is common in cats because they have smaller hearts and lungs than other animals. At the nursing home lethargy is common amongst the residents.

litany

n. a long list; recital that involves repetition or incantation; tedious recounting Once again she had to hear his litany of complaints about how badly he was treated. If you ask Mrs. Peabody about her husband, you will get a litany of all of Mr. Peabody's faults and bad habits he has acquired over their forty years of marriage.

labyrinth

n. a maze The high school seems like a labyrinth to freshmen on the first day of classes. For our science project, we trained a rat to find its way through a labyrinth.

litigant

n. a person involved in a lawsuit Hank was the litigant in the lawsuit against Allstate Insurance. Joan, as the litigant in the case, was offered a settlement which she accepted.

lout

n. a rude, stupid, or awkward person; someone who is clumsy or unmannered; oaf Joe is such a big, lazy lout, but Peggy married him anyway. I have never in my life danced with such a lout. He ruined my brand new shoes by stepping all over them!

junta

n. a small group that rules a country after taking power by force; a small legislative body or deliberative council The country appointed a junta to govern its new province, temporarily, after they overthrew the old ruler. The self-appointed junta rules the neighborhood, but they are only a gang of delinquents who are about to have their powers erased by the local police.

kiosk

n. a small structure with one or more sides open The international fair had many kiosks containing food, drink, cake, and lottery tickets. Trade shows lease kiosks to vendor so they may display their goods.

levee

n. an embankment designed to prevent flooding of a river They built a levee to protect the city; however, the water rose to thirty feet and destroyed everything. The boats landed at the levee, which is called a "quay."

jetsam

n. cargo or equipment thrown overboard to lighten an imperiled vessel; discarded odds and ends The castaways used jetsam from their wrecked ship to build a shelter on the deserted island. The rescue helicopter followed a trail of jetsam which led them to the survivors of the sinking vessel.

karma

n. fate, destiny; good or bad vibrations from something or someone All his life he possessed a protective karma that kept him out of harm's way. Louise often told her friends it was her karma to die young and beautiful.

longevity

n. great span of life or time The ninety-year-old owes his longevity to riding his bike ten miles every day. Certain cultures seem to hold secrets of longevity.

lucre

n. monetary reward or gain, money I was offered ten percent lucre after the business audit for increased sales. The signing bonus was a fraction of the lucre made from all the book sales.

kinship

n. natural connection or family relationship We experienced a sense of kinship during our very first meeting in Europe. It was only their kinship that made her agree to lend money to her cousin.

leverage

n. positional advantage, power, clout, influence The wingman took a leverage position and scored a hockey goal. (adj.) The foreman has leverage over his workers because he decides the work assignments.

latitude

n. scope, freedom, range, leeway; the distance north or south of the equator Carl allowed his children a fair amount of latitude. The new school system allows great latitude in selecting classes.

legerdemain

n. sleight of hand, trickery, deception, illusion Most magicians use legerdemain instead of actual magic. They showed on TV the actual legerdemain used to create many illusions.

legacy

n. something handed down from one who has gone before or from the past; a bequest The legacy of the copper mining industry is the creation of mountain wastelands where beautiful, unspoiled forests once stood. The Johnson family's ancestral legacy was to have blonde hair and green eyes.

jurisdiction

n. the extent of authority or legal power The judge could not make a ruling because the crime occurred out of his jurisdiction. Every classroom is under the jurisdiction of the teachers.

logistics

n. the management of the details of an operation The Normandy invasion is a great example of military logistics. The logistics involved in building the Golden Gate Bridge required an immense amount of time and resources.

lament

v. to express sorrow or regret; to mourn John lamented his decision about not going to college after high school when all his friends came home for spring break. The song Cowboy's Lament is a ballad about the lonely life of those who drive cattle for a living. (n.) It is lamentable that Roscoe quit college in his sophomore year; his professors considered him the brightest engineering student in his class. (adj.)

laud

v. to praise The entire country lauded the Olympic champions. The former smoker lauded the merits of living a smoke-free life.

jilt

v. to reject (a lover) After Jane was jilted she found another man to soothe her fettered feelings. (adj.) Milt jilted Charlotte at the altar because marriage was not the answer for him.

levitate

v. to rise or float in the air The young girl levitated high over the stage without any apparent support beneath her. The magician caused the young boy to levitate high over the audience.

jettison

v. to throw overboard in order to lighten a ship or airplane, usually in an emergency The crew had to jettison the dangerous cargo. The smugglers jettisoned all illegal materials before the Coast Guard cutter caught up to them.

lionize

v. to treat a person as a celebrity, to idolize McGwire was lionized by many fans when he set the new home run record. Elvis has been lionized and imitated by many singers since his demise.

litigate

v. to try in court Because our case could not be settled out of court, our attorney suggested that we litigate. Adam wrote a letter to the public relations office stating that their company's facial cleanser caused his acne and threatening to litigate if they did not find a way to clear up his zits before prom.

replica

n. a copy, exact copy of a reproduction, facsimile From her trip to Italy, Joan brought replicas of the statue of David for gifts. Today they are making expensive replicas of antique furniture.

osteoporosis

n. a disorder caused by calcium loss, brittle bones, fracture, mainly in women The older woman's bones kept breaking because of her osteoporosis. Osteoporosis can be prevented with sufficient calcium in the diet.

schism

n. a division; discord or disharmony; separation There is a schism in the church congregation; some want traditional organ music while the others prefer a jazz band. Coach Waldrop said the schism between the offensive and the defensive teams needs to be resolved if we are to win the championship.

visionary

n. a dreamer; one who is idealistic or speculative Walt Disney was the visionary who created Disneyland. The Wright Brothers were visionaries who believed men could fly in machines.

referendum

n. a vote in which all the people in a country or an area decide on an important question The employees demanded a referendum on the appointment of the new department head. There will be a referendum before the legislature passes the bill.

transient

n. a seasonal traveler who doesn't stay long in a given location In the winter months, Florida is flooded with northern transients who come south to escape the cold weather. Transient fruit pickers travel from state and state following the crops. (adj.)

presentiment

n. a sense that something is about to occur; a premonition Ray had a presentiment that he would hear from Tony before the end of the day, and sure enough, he did. The sage had a presentiment of an impending disaster that would befall the village, so he tried to warn the people.

octave

n. a series of group of eight, a series of musical tones The singer surprised everyone with the number of octaves she could sing. A tenor's voice is many octaves above bass.

regimen

n. a set of rules; a regulated course His doctor put him on a strict regimen of exercise and low-fat food. Students will find that the regimen for membership in the honor society is very rigid.

splinter

n. a sharp piece broken or split off from something; silver; fragment v. to break into splinters The Green Party is a small splinter group of the Democratic Party. The woodsman splintered the log into small pieces.

melee

n. a situation that is confused and not under control; a confused mingling or turmoil; free-for-all Sometime during the melee, three shots were fired, but in all the confusion, I was not sure from which direction they came. As the crowd rushed the store in a general melee, everyone trying to get to the bargain table first, I was separated from my friends.

somnambulist

n. a sleepwalker Richard said he was a somnambulist, but he always ended up in the kitchen eating. Joey was a somnambulist who was sleepwalking when he stumbled and broke his leg falling down the stairs.

peccadillo

n. a slight or trifling sin; a minor offense The reporters were more interested in the president's personal peccadilloes than in the state of the economy. Being ticketed for running a red light is a mere peccadillo compared to driving while intoxicated.

tinge

n. a slight trace or coloring I detect a tinge of almond flavoring in the icing. The slightest tinge rose to her cheek when his name was mentioned.

taint

n. a small amount of something, especially something harmful or unhealthy The taint of scandal followed him for years, no matter what good deeds he did. The wine had a slight taint of vinegar, which meant the wine was turning bad.

skiff

n. a small boat for sailing or rowing Large boats usually carry a skiff so they can anchor and row ashore if the need arises. Skiffs are too small and therefore not practical to take out in the open ocean.

opposition

n. action of opposing, resisting, disagreement, hostility, those who oppose I don't understand his opposition to the release of oil. The opposition was quick to reply to the charge of subliminal advertising.

meritocracy

n. a system of rule in which leaders are chosen based on ability and talent instead of wealth and position Professor Tom believes that the education system should be a meritocracy. Athletics is one system where meritocracy prevails.

pedagogue

n. a teacher; one devoted to study The old man had once been a pedagogue in a one-room schoolhouse. Ichabod Crane was the first pedagogue to move to Tarrytown, New York.

thesis

n. a theory to be proven Robert's thesis was written on the subject of hog snakes and their ability to control the rabbit population in Australia. To earn his PhD in biology, Charles did his thesis on cloning.

rind

n. a tough outer covering, especially that of a fruit, bark of a tree A rind of lemon is placed into espresso coffee to eliminate the bitter taste. The rind of the oak tree is used in making cork and stopper for bottles.

systemic

adj. affecting an entire system, as the body The computer virus was systemic to the Hewlett-Packard Corporation. Septicemia is a serious systemic bacterial infection that can affect all internal organs.

opulent

adj. affluent, wealthy, luxurious The opulent family lives in a big mansion in the nicest section of town. The millionaire lived in opulent style, surrounding himself with luxuries.

quaint

adj. agreeably old-fashioned or curious; picturesque Visiting the many quaint little cafes in Paris is like taking a step back in time. The Amish people, with their horses and buggies have quaint customs.

porous

adj. allowing air, gas or liquid to pass through, having or full of holes The porous paper was used to filter out the solid materials. The porous barrier let the salt water through but kept the sharks enclosed.

libertine

adj. an immoral or licentious man Don Juan could be considered a libertine as the story is told. Jerry went to college only to become a libertine.

slight

adj. an insult; something negligible; smallish in size Jeff had only a slight temperature when he thought he was burning up. The coach assumed Jim was too slight to play football and suggested he try tennis.

supercilious

adj. arrogant; self-important; pompous Albert's supercilious behavior, such as telling the media the team couldn't win a game without him, made him unpopular among the other players. Don't you just hate supercilious salesmen who act as if they are doing you a favor to let you buy from them.

traditional

adj. as was done in the past; customary; habitual; established Birthday cakes are a traditional part of birthday celebrations. Fireworks are a traditional event on July 4th of each year.

mandatory

adj. authoritatively ordered or commanded; necessary Attendance at Sunday Chapel is no longer mandatory for the students. When you go to vote, it is mandatory to show photo identification.

uncouth

adj. awkward; clumsy; unmannerly; lacking refinement Uncouth behavior is especially inappropriate in church. Albert's guests were offended by the uncouth manners of his young daughter who picked her nose at the dinner table.

nascent

adj. beginning to form, grow, develop His ideas were nascent when he outlines the novel, but as he thought about them, they came to fruition. The nascent country had a long way to go before it would be completely self-governing.

ubiquitous

adj. being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time Computers were once rare but today are more ubiquitous than typewriters. McDonald's restaurants are ubiquitous around the world.

quintessential

adj. being the most perfect or typical example of something Michael Jordan is a quintessential basketball player. Miss America is promoted as the quintessential American woman.

self-deprecating

adj. belittling or undervaluing oneself; excessively modest Although a world-famous artist, Terry was self-deprecating about his accomplishments. Margaret's self-deprecating account of her career as a violinist amused the audience.

pejorative

adj. belittling, uncomplimentary, ridiculing, disparaging The star used over the pejorative comments made by the broadcaster. The teacher's pejorative remarks about Bobby's paper discouraged the student writer.

ponderous

adj. burdensome, awkward, cumbersome Bart struggled with the ponderous package. The killer's guilt is a ponderous burden he will have to bear.

obdurate

adj. callous, headstrong, stubborn, insensitive Anita's spoiled child was obdurate in her refusal to eat vegetables. The teacher's obdurate refusal to change the grade made the athlete ineligible to play in the championship game.

meticulous

adj. carefully attentive to every small detail; painstaking; precise and careful; fussy Aunt Brenda was so meticulous about her house that she used to check everything for dust with a white glove after the maid left. It is meticulous work to build models for a living.

repugnant

adj. causing a feeling of strong dislike or disgust; offensive; distasteful His language was so repugnant that nobody wanted to be around him. I am so full that the thought of eating anything is totally repugnant to me.

wary

adj. cautious; on watchful guard against; not trustful of The stranger was wary of entering a room full of people he did not know. Be wary of e-mail on the Internet because it is not as private as you might think.

renowned

adj. celebrated; famous; notable; eminent, distinguished Sukeyaka, the young Japanese poet, is renowned for Haiku poetry. Renowned entertainers and movie producers attend Nice's film festival.

tortuous

adj. changing direction frequently; twisting; winding; crooked His shortcut through the forest turned out to be tortuous and slow. During the tortuous trail to the top of Mt. Everest, many climbers succumb to the extreme heights and cannot continue to the top.

neurotic

adj. characteristic of or having mental disorders We hadn't realized how neurotic Michael was until we realized that he kept leaving the dinner table to wash his hands. Every family seems to have one neurotic member.

reticent

adj. characteristically silent or quiet Although he is not unfriendly, Ray is a reticent person. Edgar Allan Poe was a reticent man who put his thoughts on paper.

raffish

adj. cheaply vulgar in appearance or nature; tawdry; disreputable The raffish character had been seen at the murder and was taken in for questioning. His raffish appearance made people think he was a lowlife.

sanguine

adj. cheerful, confident, optimistic Jessie's sanguine personality was exactly what Ben needed to get him out of the doldrums. Jim is the most sanguine person I know; he always seems to make everyone laugh.

manifest

adj. clearly apparent to the sight or understanding; obvious There is manifest danger in lighting a match near a gas pump. The teacher's anger was manifest; you could hear in her voice.

turbid

adj. cloudy or murky; unclear; muddy It is no fun snorkeling in turbid waters because of the low visibility. The air in Los Angeles is turbid because of the industrial city smog.

qualitative

adj. concerned with quality or qualities The last inspectors are responsible for the qualitative aspects of the final product. The qualitative analysis of the product showed illegal mercury deposits.

punctilious

adj. conscientious and precise; extremely attentive to detail My teenage daughter is punctilious about applying her makeup, taking over an hour to make sure she looks perfect. Mom, with her punctilious house-cleaning, is always following me with a broom and dustcloth.

successive

adj. consecutive; following immediately one after another Pat underwent seven successive operations in seven months. The tennis semifinals and finals were held on successive nights.

motley

adj. consisting of many different types, parts or colors that do not seem to belong together; variegated; extremely varied or diverse The ship's motley crew was made up of different nationalities, ages, and backgrounds. Our dog had a motley litter. All six puppies were different colors, some were tiny, some huge, but all adorable.

orthodox

adj. conventional, going by the book, sticking to established principles An orthodox religion is one that holds fast to unchanging, historical views. The views of those who still believe the world is flat, as many did in the 13th century, are unorthodox.

tacit

adj. conveyed indirectly without words or speech; implicit The neighbors had a tacit agreement not to walk their dogs on each other's lawns. The Morrison children seem to have a tacit agreement never to speak ill of each other.

plausible

adj. convincing, feasible, believable, credible Jane's clothes were soaked, so her story of falling into the creek was plausible. The jurors found the evidence plausible and returned a verdict of not guilty.

trenchant

adj. cutting; incisive; having a sharp point; sarcastic Roger's trenchant remarks at the budget meeting were motivated by his being passed over for a promotion. Julia had a trenchant tongue when discussing her ex-husband.

lurid

adj. deathly pale or glowing through a haze The clouds hung low with a lurid gleam just before the thunderstorm. After the accident, Nancy's skin was lurid, but she eventually came around.

mendacious

adj. deceitful, dishonest, lying Bert's mendacious profit report forced stockholders to sell at once. Charlie's mendacious testimony at the trial was refuted by the prosecution.

wily

adj. deceitful; clever; crafty; cunning Rainbow trout are too wily to be caught by amateur fishermen. The wily young boy was able to get into the stadium without paying.

pivotal

adj. decisive, critical, vital Carlos was offered a new job at a pivotal time in his life, just as he had made the decision to move back to Venezuela. The pivotal votes were cast in the largest states.

meritorious

adj. deserving praise, reward, esteem Chuck's hard work produced meritorious results and a pending scholarship. Her hard work at the library provided her a meritorious award for student service.

stoic

adj. detached; impassive; unruffled Ann appeared stoic in defeat, but she cried like a baby in private. Harry impressed everyone with his stoic behavior during the crisis.

unwieldy

adj. difficult to handle or manage The deliveryman had a difficult time carrying the unwieldy boxes. A sledgehammer is unwieldy and dangerous.

squalid

adj. dirty and wretched, as from poverty or lack of care It was a wretched house, dirty inside and full of junk; it is amazing how people could live in such squalid conditions. Haiti is the poorest Caribbean country, where the people live in terribly squalid run-down towns.

tragic

adj. disastrous; unfortunate; woeful; catastrophic The tragic accident took eight lives needlessly and opened up a congressional investigation. Some movie stars are known for their ability to play tragic roles.

sagacious

adj. discerning, shrewd, keen in judgment, wise; perceptive Among those who knew him in the world of academics, the professor was thought to be a sagacious man. Caron hopes that the court will reach a sagacious decision in her case.

unceremonious

adj. discourteous; abrupt; hasty; rude August is so rude, he made an unceremonious exit right in the middle of Jim Day's speech. Unceremonious behavior is not acceptable at graduation.

refractory

adj. disobedient; hard to manage; headstrong The refractory mule went exactly where it wanted. Sam is such a refractory child that he spends much of his day in time-out.

liquidation

n. a closing of one's business by collecting assets and settling all debts I've heard rumors that the corporation is going into liquidation. We can usually pick up some good bargains at a liquidation sale.

lugubrious

adj. exaggeratedly mournful Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most lugubrious American authors. When Theresa found another boyfriend, Jimmy was lugubrious for several days until he started seeing someone else.

provocative

adj. exciting, attracting attention, provoking, irritating Jack's provocative remark started a heated argument. Betty wore a very provocative red satin gown, which had all the males staring at her.

judicious

adj. exhibiting sound judgment Linda's mother explained the importance of being judicious with her allowance. Joanne was far from judicious when she spend all of her vacation money on lottery tickets.

titular

adj. existing in name only; nominal; bearing a title Today's kings and queens have little power and are the titular heads of their government, while the real power rests with elected officials. Uncle John is the titular head of the family, so he sits at the head of the table.

spatial

adj. existing or occurring in space The International Space station is the first step to a spatial community. The NASA shuttle program is a step in universal spatial relations.

unremitting

adj. existing or occurring without interruption or exception Unremitting hurricane rains flooded the area with seventeen inches of water. The boxer's assault of his opponent was unremitting.

opprobrious

adj. expressing condemnation or scorn; accusing of shameful behavior; worthy of scorn or shame; disgraceful The bully's opprobrious behavior on the school bus got him kicked off for the rest of the year. Her parents think skintight micro-miniskirts, short shirts, high heels, and rub red lipstick are an opprobrious attire for a fourteen year old girl.

pensive

adj. expressing or revealing thoughtfulness, or sometimes sadness, dreamy Being in a pensive mood, Mary sat staring out the window With a pensive look on his face, the old man began to reminisce about his past.

painstaking

adj. extremely careful, thorough, meticulous After many years of painstaking research, Dr. Snow created a drug to prevent strokes. The painstaking editing of a manuscript is a tedious task that takes many hours.

pernicious

adj. extremely destructive or harmful, deadly; fatal Nuclear waste materials are pernicious vehicles of death. Too much chlorine in tap water can be pernicious and dangerous to health.

obese

adj. extremely fat; grossly overweight People may become obese if diet and exercise routines are not carefully followed. Obesity is a problem caused by lack of exercise, poor diet control, and slow metabolism. (n.)

pristine

adj. extremely pure; untouched The coin discovered under layers of ash was still in pristine condition. Those who know about the island keep it a secret because they want to continue to enjoy its pristine beaches.

liberal

adj. favoring civil liberties and social programs, unbiased, generous Mama's in Englewood is famous for liberal servings of veal parmigiana. Shirley's liberal donation of a million dollars will be used for research.

protean

adj. having many aspects, uses or abilities; very changeable Carlson's protean talent to be three different characters in a play was a magnificent gift. Harry's protean abilities made him a valuable asset to the group.

jovial

adj. joyfully exuberant, with a spirit of good fellowship Pearl's jovial attitude carried everyone through the Christmas party. A jovial crowd met the team at the airport.

underhanded

adj. marked by treachery of deceit Kyle knew what the other bids were beforehand, using underhanded tactics to win the bidding. My uncle's underhanded behavior landed him in jail.

sordid

adj. morally vile; amoral; shameful; dirty and in bad condition In 1995, Americans were glued to their TV sets to hear every sordid detail of the O.J. Simpson trial. The sordid condition of the workers' bathrooms was shocking.

maritime

adj. near the sea; concerned with shipping or navigation While in our nation's capital, we visited the Maritime War Museum. Rick's desire is to become a maritime lawyer.

skittish

adj. nervous and easily frightened; jumpy Whenever she heard a loud noise, the kitten would become skittish and hide under the nearest chair. The horses became more skittish as the thunderstorm drew nearer.

newfangled

adj. new, untested, fond or given to novelty When introduced the horseless carriage was a newfangled contraption. The Industrial Revolution produced many newfangled inventions.

unethical

adj. not conforming to approved standards of behavior It is considered unethical for a judge to rule on crimes committed by his own family members. Cheating on an exam is very unethical.

tangential

adj. not especially relevant; only slightly related to a matter at hand When someone goes off on a tangent, he has strayed from the subject or matter at hand. (n.) John's report on butterflies was tangential to the fate of forest insects.

spurious

adj. not genuine; false The Senator made spurious claims about his opponent's views of labor reform. A spurious story is one that is absolutely false, no doubt about it.

unconscionable

adj. not guided by conscience; unscrupulous; beyond all reason Steve's sale of worthless stocks to his own family was unconscionable. It is unconscionable to cheat on an exam.

overt

adj. not hidden or secret; openly apparent There are no overt signs of tampering with the painting, but the damage may be well-hidden. It was obvious by his overt flirtations that Him liked Suzanne.

unscathed

adj. not hurt or harmed; completely uninjured Her husband was severely injured in the accident but she escaped unscathed. The firemen emerged unscathed from the fire.

unseemly

adj. not in keeping with established standards; not suited to circumstances Everyone was shocked by Boris's unseemly drunken conduct at the wedding. Kathy and Bill woke the neighbors at the unseemly hour of 3:30 a.m.

submissive

adj. obedient; yielding, compliant; giving in easily Joan was submissive to her husband and always gave in to his wishes over her own. A good time to be submissive rather than aggressive is when an officer pulls you over for speeding.

titanic

adj. of extraordinary size and power; of great influence The explorers discovered titanic waterfalls at the mouth of the lake. It will take a titanic effort to finish the construction job by Monday.

somatic

adj. of the body; physical Doris' pain was somatic, and the doctor determined she had broken some ribs. June's somatic infection was serious enough to require hospitalization.

unilateral

adj. one-sided; not mutual; done on behalf of one side only The trade embargo was a unilateral decision made by our country. Marriage should be a mutual contract, not a unilateral one.

pedestrian

adj. ordinary; moving on foot Most of the villages in the Andes Mountains have only pedestrian traffic on the very steep roads The right frame can make a pedestrian painting look like a million bucks.

provincial

adj. parochial, limited to one's small outlook of the world, narrow His provincial outlook was due to his extreme narrow-mindedness. Harriet, a farmer's daughter who had never traveled far from her village, had simple, provincial manners.

paternal

adj. patriarchal, father-like The young man's boss was a paternal figure in his life, replacing the father he had never known. Even though he has no children of his own, Jack's paternal behavior causes all his nieces and nephews to adore him.

utopian

adj. perfect; but only in theory or fancy; idealistic She was not expecting to find utopian communities in Cuba. In a way, if you like solitude and tranquility, the monastery provides a utopian life.

limpid

adj. perfectly clear; transparent; lucid The park is laced with numerous small rivers and crystal blue, limpid streams. Her report is limpid, to the point, easy to read, and leaving no question unanswered.

perennial

adj. perpetual, everlasting, enduring, continual Marion is a perennial visitor to St. Michael's Church. The landscape gardener suggested planting perennials instead of annual plants.

noxious

adj. physically or mentally destructive, harmful to human beings The noxious pollutants discharged into the bay by the paper mill killed all the marine life. The noxious ideas espoused by the cult really messed up the boy's mind.

stout

adj. plump; stocky; thick and strong The man was short, a bit stout around the middle, but with a radiant smile. It is wise to have a sturdy, stout fence to protect your vegetable garden from the wild deer.

toxic

adj. poisonous; injurious or deadly The industrial plant disposes of toxic waste in the appropriate manner. Toxic levels of some medications can lead to more serious illnesses.

maladjusted

adj. poorly adjusted; unable to adjust properly to the stresses of daily life Justin was maladjusted when he first came to our school, but he has learned to fit in. Many young teenagers are maladjusted, but by the age sixteen, they become more at ease with themselves.

pragmatic

adj. practical, matter of fact, down to earth Esther's problems necessitate pragmatic solutions, not fancy, expensive theories. Jerry's pragmatic on-the-job experience was beneficial to the new company.

propulsive

adj. propelling; having a propelling force The propulsive punch sent the other boxer flying across the ring. Nuclear energy is the propulsive force driving modern submarines.

piquant

adj. pungent or sharp in taste or flavor, tart Piquant seasonings were added to the bland casserole. Mexican foods are known for their piquant flavorings.

tranquil

adj. quiet; calm; serene Twilight in the forest is a tranquil time to take a walk. Marvin took tranquilizers to become tranquil after he attended the funeral of his mother.

pliable

adj. receptive to change; easily persuaded or controlled; easily bent or twisted Students demonstrate their pliability when they remain open to new idea. (n.) Putty is a pliable material that can be easily shaped.

prodigal

adj. recklessly extravagant; unrestrained Grandville, the prodigal son, returned home because he was penniless. Louise's prodigal habit of giving money to people with sob stories left her penniless.

subsequent

adj. recurring or coming later or after The first ticket costs five dollars, and subsequent ones will be three dollars. Charlie started off poorly in his job, and subsequent events proved he was unqualified to be a brain surgeon.

leery

adj. refusing or reluctant to believe Dr. Jones was leery about the new medication for arthritis. The child was leery upon seeing the strange man and refused to go with him.

rotund

adj. round, corpulent, globular Joey's rotund shape forced his mother to buy chubby-sized clothes. Sheryl sold beanbags, which were generally rotund in shape, at the store.

reserved

adj. self-restrained, modest, not showy The English are supposed to be reserved, but we found them warm and friendly. The reserved young lady sat quietly in the corner.

static

adj. showing little or any change; still; suspended Sales became static when the economy slowed countrywide. The Broadway opening was a failure; the new play had a good first act, then became static, and nothing interesting seemed to happen.

sullen

adj. silent and unpleasant; dark, gloomy, or dispiriting; sulky Bill's roommate became quite sullen when Rick reminded him he hadn't paid his share of the rent. The soldiers stared at the revolutionary leader with expressions of sullen dislike.

rigorous

adj. strict, harsh, severe, exacting, austere Summer football training involves rigorous, effective exercise twice a day. Many of the college students dropped out of the class, unable to meet its rigorous requirements.

tenacious

adj. tough; stubborn; not letting go Bulldogs are tenacious; once they bite a person, they refuse to let go. The weeds in our lawn are so tenacious we imported a goat to deal with them.

sheer

adj. transparently thin; unmixed with something else The miners drilled a mile through sheer rock. The comedian uttered some sheer comic nonsense, and the laughter reached the ceiling.

literal

adj. true of fact, not exaggerated, actual or factual Jeff complained his statement was taken out of context and not quoted literally. (adv.) The congressman said his report on crime was the literal truth.

vague

adj. unclear; lacking definite shape or substance; confused A reformed convict, Dwight was vague about his past when applying for a job. George's paintings always contain a vague feeling of sadness.

sterile

adj. uncontaminated; pure; infertile The premature infant was kept in a sterile incubator for months. The nurse tore open a sterile syringe package in order to draw blood from the donor.

steadfast

adj. unfaltering; tenacious; unwavering It is said that a steadfast romance is a love that never waivers. Zeke planted ivy along the wall, forming a steadfast network of green.

jingoism

n. aggressive nationalism and patriotism, especially as directed against foreign countries; belligerent bigoted patriotism; warmongering Patriotism can be misdirected into jingoism and intolerance of other nations very quickly. Skinheads' practice of jingoism is apparent in the overt statements and actions against immigrants to this country.

snit

n. agitated or irritated state; excited distress Geraldine was in a snit all week after she failed to get the leading role in the senior play. Grandmother was in a snit because she hadn't received any thank-you notes.

solidarity

n. agreement between and support for the members of a group; sense of unity All the members wore a ribbon to show their solidarity with AIDS victims. To help create solidarity among the students, we let them design and vote on the school uniforms.

overture

n. an approach made to someone in order to discuss or establish something; an opening gesture, as for initiating a relationship or other interaction; an intro to a musical work The country's leaders rejected all overtures from the enemy for a peace settlement. The company's initial overture to the union was flatly rejected because the wages offered were too low.

mire

n. an area of deep, wet, sticky earth; a swampy area filled with such soil; bog; marsh The wagon's wheels sank deeply into the wet, red mire. If you keep moving at a steady pace, you will avoid getting stuck in the mire.

portal

n. an entrance, door, or gate As we stepped through the portal of the Sistine Chapel, we all were awestruck. Beyond the porch steps stood a huge wooden portal that led to a reception area.

migraine

n. an excruciating headache A drug that could not be used to treat migraines finally was used in cancer treatment. Her migraine started on the left and settled in the middle of the head.

myriad

n. an extremely large number Jane said she had a myriad of things to do to get ready for the party. On a clear night, the sky is filled with a myriad of stars. (adj.)

malfeasance

n. an illegal act by a public official No one would testify that the president was guilty of malfeasance even though they openly discussed his crime in private. The mayor was guilty of malfeasance for giving a contract to his brother's company.

patrimony

n. an inheritance from a father or an ancestor; anything inherited Ill will in the family was a result of arguments over patrimony after the death of the father. When his mother died, Jonathan used his patrimony to set up a business.

prelude

n. an introductory event occurring before a more important one; opening for something bigger to follow John's act is going to be the prelude for the headliners. Stretching should always be a prelude to a strenuous workout.

summons

n. an order to appear in court; an authoritative command or message Clem received a summons to appear in the president's office at ten o'clock. The Knights of The Round Table received a summons to meet with King Arthur.

pariah

n. an outcast socially despised or avoided, member of the low-casts Years ago people living on the other side of the tracks were pariahs, unacceptable to their wealthier neighbors. In old days, suspected witches were treated as pariahs of society and were sometimes even burned at the stake.

surfeit

n. an overabundant amount, especially related to eating and drinking Thanksgiving is a day when there is a surfeit of food at the dining room table. The beach store had a surfeit of bathing suits, so they held a bathing suit sale.

panorama

n. an unbroken view of a wide area We enjoyed the scenic panorama while taking a hot-air balloon ride. The Grand Canyon offers panoramic views of great splendor. (adj.)

mean

n. average, a midpoint between extremes The students were given a math problem to determine the mean of a series of numbers. A land surveyor must determine the mean high water line when calculating the area of the oceanfront property.

median

n. average, midpoint The vertical line that divides a histogram into equal parts is the median. The median strip divides a highway into two roads going in opposite directions.

symmetry

n. beauty based on excellence of proportion The Tower Bridge has a symmetry unequaled in London's architecture. The symmetry of a rose is so perfect and so simple, yet man cannot duplicate it.

rancor

n. bitter resentment or ill will, hatred, malice The rancor of his ex-wife exploded into physical violence as she ran him down with his new car. The rancor between company and union was so intense it was difficult to bargain.

patrician

n. blue blood, one of noble birth, an aristocrat Sir James, as a patrician, was permitted a seat in the House of Lords. In Roman times patricians wore special togas of royal purple, while the peasants wore dull brown tunics.

temerity

n. boldness; recklessness; audacity Jack wanted to know where Mrs. Rodsman got the temerity to ask him about his personal life. Ray had the temerity to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

ornithology

n. branch of zoology dealing with birds When studying ornithology, one will find that the bones of all birds are hollow. Bird-watching is a division of ornithology.

raiment

n. clothing; wearing apparel The wardrobe director did a wonderful job using the only raiment of the time period. The Persian military officer wore the raiment of his office.

miscellany

n. collection of various things Seth's home was a collection of miscellaneous paintings, writings, and books. (adj.) "Anthology 2000" was an interesting miscellany of poems written by amateurs.

precept

n. command or directions given as a rule of conduct The boss set the precepts all company employees must follow. The precepts set down by the chairman stated the policy of the club.

levity

n. frivolity; lightness Our strict history teacher allowed no levity until the last day of school. Levity is not often apparent in a courtroom.

pinnacle

n. highest point; culmination Stephen King was very young when he reached the pinnacle of success as a writer. We tried to make it to the pinnacle before nightfall, but we were forced to make camp one more night before reachign the top.

retrospect

n. hindsight; looking backward In retrospect, I realize I should have gone to law school, but I can't change my past. In retrospect, the situation was funny, but it was embarrassing at the time.

lessor

n. one who grants a lease Charlotte signed as the lessor at the car agency since she was the manager. The real estate agent advised the lessor that the future tenants had questions.

nomad

n. one without a permanent domicile, one who moves from place to place The vagabonds lived like nomads, traveling from state to state. The Native Americans of the Plains region were nomads who traveled following bison.

prose

n. ordinary speech or writing (as opposed to poetry) The words were written in prose, but they sounded very poetic. Jason's delivery of his prose put people to sleep.

perfidy

n. treachery, treason, disloyalty, faithlessness Jill could not abide Jack's perfidy in selling government documents to a foreign country. Carl's perfidy made him the object of an investigation into the missing treasury plates.

skullduggery

n. trickery; underhandedness Pirates in the 18th century practiced all types of skullduggery to gain an advantage over their victims. After Howard's arrest, he admitted to numerous counts of skullduggery that had gone unsolved in the town in past years.

veracity

n. truthfulness, honesty, integrity, probity, candor Shirley sometimes doubts Carl's veracity, as he's known tell stories. The veracity of the Manus Report is unquestionable.

paradox

n. two apparently contradictory statements that nevertheless are true Dr. Jekyll was a paradox; he was kind and gentle until he became the vicious Mr. Hyde. The statement "You have to be cruel to be kind" is a paradox.

rampage

n. uncontrolled self-indulgence, furious or violent act The demented man went on a rampage, wounding several passersby. The Mississippi River has gone on a rampage and flooded the countryside.

murmur

n. undertone, mumble, a low, unclear sound The rescue crew heard a murmur from underneath the wreckage and therefore knew there was a survivor. The underwater screen saver on the computer gives off various murmurs all day.

notoriety

n. unfavorable, usually unsavory renown, widely recognized infamy New tabloids create notoriety about famous people which may or may not be true. John Dillinger's notoriety as a bank robber earned him a place in history.

parquet

n. wooden floor forming a pattern, part of an area in a theater Since he prefers wood to carpet, Kevin installed parquet floors in his oceanfront condo. (adj.) Concert tickets in the parquet sold for the highest prices of all the seats in the hall.

moniker

n. word or words by which one is addressed, nickname "Babe" is the moniker for Herman Ruth, the former baseball home run king. World War II hero General Patton's moniker was "Blood in Guts."

piety

n. worshipful devotion to God or family; reverence The new minister exhibited such piety that he was much admired by the community. My grandmother showed piety by reading from her Bible every day.

lesion

n. wound, injury, especially one created by a disease The nurses told Crystal to keep the bandage on her knee until the lesion healed; otherwise, the open sore would be prone to infection by airborne bacteria. Ebola is an infectious disease characterized by open lesions of the skin.

lexicography

n. writing, editing, or compiling of dictionaries. John listed lexicography as his profession while working for Random House. The hours doing research for lexicography are tedious.

proxy

n. written authority allowing another to act Blue Cross is now checking the proxy votes before the yearly meeting at which delegates vote in person. The injured man signed a proxy giving his son the right to handle his banking accounts.

libel

n. written falsehood that injures another's reputation Mark's attorney accused the newspaper of libel for printing that his client had been arrested for drunken driving when he actually had been visiting his sick grandmother. The things the candidate's brochure said about his opponent bordered on libel.

wile

n./v. a trick to entice; to pass time Ethel used all her feminine wiles to get Josh to go to the ballet. Leonard wiled away many weekends building a boat in the basement.

rivet

n./v. something that fastens two parts together; to hold the attention of Most naval ships, army tanks, and fighter aircraft have metal plates for their outer bodies that are held together by rivets. Most kids are riveted to the television on Saturday mornings.

jostle

v. to bump, push, or shove roughly Try not to jostle that bag; it contains five dozen eggs. We loved the concert, but we didn't like being jostled by the unruly crowd.

sentient

adj. able to perceive by the sense; conscious; cognizant Michael's father was sentient to the fact his son had stayed out all night. Humans and animals are sentient, while rocks are not.

resilient

adj. able to resume shape after being pressed or stretched; elastic able to recover quickly from illness He proved to be a resilient opponent and eventually won the match after being behind by two sets. Grandpa is so resilient he was back at work just two weeks after his heart surgery.

monotonous

adj. arousing no interest or curiosity Helen spoke in monotonous phrases, putting everyone to sleep. The night work at the newspaper was monotonous, the pay was excellent.

terse

adj. brief and to the point; concise Hemingway is best known for his terse style of writing. When Sally becomes annoyed, she speaks in terse, short sentences.

palpable

adj. capable of being touched or felt The answer is as palpable as the nose on your face. Fear ran palpably through the crowd as the man wielded a pistol. (adv.)

rapacious

adj. covetous, mercenary, insatiable, greedy, plundering, avaricious Blackbeard and his crew were a rapacious lot of pirates. Jeremy, in his rapacious way, became wealthy but friendless.

zany

adj. crazily silly or comical; clownish Mr. Harris was responsible for the zany puppet characters loved by children worldwide. She keeps me in stitches with her zany antics.

tangible

adj. definite; not vague; touchable The tangible evidence that Billy was home was that the fridge had been raided. Jeff had no tangible reason to believe Jane had a crush on him; he just felt that way.

migratory

adj. roving, wandering, nomadic Most American Indian tribes in the Old West were migratory and followed the movements of the buffalo. Wild geese migrate to Canada in the summer and to Mexico in the winter. (v.)

ribald

adj. rude; vulgar, lewd, off-color I was embarrassed by the ribald conversation at the next table. The ribald language coming from the locker room was unbelievable.

melancholy

adj. sad, gloomy, weary It was a melancholy day, gloomy and dark. The best word to describe Jim is melancholy; no matter what the situation, he always walks around looking like he has lost his best friend.

serrated

adj. saw-toothed The bricks lay around the flower bed in a serrated pattern. The serrated knife cut the tomato like melted butter.

refulgent

adj. shining brightly, gleaming, radiant His refulgent eyes showed his pleasure over the lucrative deal. Crystal chandeliers at the house made a refulgent setting for the party.

unprecedented

adj. showing marked departure from previous practice Holding the Super Bowl in Tahiti would be unprecedented. President Ford's pardon of President Nixon was unprecedented.

reciprocal

adj. showing mutual respect; characterized by mutual give and take Reciprocal trade agreements cause economic growth for both countries. The reciprocal exchange in research has produced many valuable products for each company.

tactical

adj. showing skill in tactics; characterized by skillful maneuvering He made a tactical error in agreeing to argue with an opponent who was a professional debater. Tactical military operations are designed to outsmart the enemy.

withered

adj. shriveled; shrunken; dried-up A few withered apples were all that remained on the tree after the storm. He remembered her as a bouncy cheerleader, not as the withered old lady of eighty.

retiring

adj. shy, modest, quiet, self-effacing Bill's retiring manner made him shy and uncomfortable around the women employees. The retiring writer never mentioned his bestseller in his remarks to the composition class.

modest

adj. shy, reserved, unassuming, unshowy, demure Helen served a modest but tasty lunch for the club, which everyone enjoyed. Anthony made only a modest donation to the kids collecting money for school.

pandemic

adj. widespread; general AIDS has spread in pandemic proportions around the world. Boating is a pandemic form of outdoor recreation in Florida.

lacerated

adj./v. mangled, jagged, torn Playing with a knife, Charlie lacerated his right hand by catching the blade first. The doctor removed the patient's shirt and found a large laceration. (n.)

lieu

adv. instead of; in place of In lieu of entering the university in September, Roger decided to work and save some money to start in January. Mike thought it was prudent to buy a family van in lieu of a sports car.

presumably

adv. probably; supposedly Presumably, they can afford to buy a car or they wouldn't be looking. Presumably, there will be an afternoon thunderstorm tomorrow, since this is the rainy season.

numismatist

n. a coin collector or specialist The numismatist was selling rare two-cent coins to the public. Art sold his coin collection to a numismatist who was collecting Spanish Colonial coinage.

menagerie

n. a collection of animals on exhibit Busch Gardens has a wonderful menagerie of lions, tigers, elephants, and other wild animals roaming free and on display in a park-like setting. To have a house pet is one thing, but Susan keeps so many parrots and cats in her house, it is a virtual menagerie.

joust

n. a combat with lances between two knights, a tilting match; any combat suggestive of a joust Running and enjoying the competition, Bill and Harry jousted with each other playfully. (v.) It was a joust to the death between Sir Lancelot and the Black Night.

liaison

n. a communication link between groups or persons; connection; alliance; unpermitted secret love affair There is an unfortunate lack of liaison between the departments, so effective communication is severely lacking. The union representative in our department is the liaison between the employees and the union.

plight

n. a condition or situation, especially a distressing one In most stories, the plight of the good guys appears at its worst just before the climax. Determined to rescue the fifty hostages from their plight, the police rushed the aircraft before the terrorists could cause further harm.

parley

n. a conference, especially between enemies The National Football League owners and players held a series of parleys to reach a settlement on salary caps. After a brief barley, the defense attorney and the prosecuting attorney agreed to settle the dispute out of court.

recrimination

n. a countercharge against an accuser The undercover agent's recrimination against the FBI was revealed in his book. The attorney's recrimination against the insurance company for nonpayment of claims resulted in his client's retrieval of funds for medical expenses.

poltroon

n. a coward Only a poltroon would desert his squad while they were under attack. Many considered him a poltroon because he was in his 30s yet still afraid of the dark.

scion

n. a descendant directly from the same parents or ancestors Charlie and Jim are scions of the same great-grandmother. The genealogical records confirmed that Louise was a direct scion of King Charles IV.

regime

n. a particular government; a system or method of government Castro's regime is communistic. The new dance teacher's regime was so strict that half the students dropped out.

motif

n. a pattern or design; a similar dominant or recurring element or theme We chose the curtains with a blue flower motif. My new house will be decorated throughout in a Mexican motif.

pedant

n. a person making an excessive or inappropriate display of learning The pedant in the class was always asking questions to show off his knowledge. (We all know someone like this...) The pedant's lecture was so scholarly that no one understood it.

sage

n. a person of wisdom and prudence Native American tribes regarded their medicine man as a sage with special healing powers. In Chinese culture, the grandparents are regarded as the sages of the family.

salvation

n. a person or thing that causes one to be saved from danger In many ways my father was my mother's salvation, standing by her and helping her in any way he could. America is the salvation of many less-fortunate countries.

plaintiff

n. a person who brings a complaint into a court of law Because she is the plaintiff, she is trying to sue the defendant. The plaintiff was called to the stand to explain his part of the story.

predecessor

n. a person who had a job or position before someone else; a thing that comes before another in time or in a series My predecessor worked in this job for twelve years before I was hired. The latest model is faster and sleeker than its predecessors.

spendthrift

n. a person who is extravagant or wasteful, especially in money Marta is a wonderful person but she is a spendthrift when it comes to buying clothes. Carla was a spendthrift who always maxed out her Visa card.

layman

n. a person who is not trained in or does not have a detailed knowledge of a particular subject; a man who is not a member of the clergy The book is supposed to be the layman's guide to auto repair, but I don't understand many of the technical terms it uses. The physician tried to explain the illness to Mom in layman's terms, but he found it impossible not to revert to medical terminology that she did not understand.

pundit

n. a person who knows a great deal about a particular subject; an expert Since he studied social studies at the university, Grandfather is a pundit on American history. Young children are usually pundits on the Saturday morning cartoons; they can tell you all about every character.

vagabond

n. a person without a permanent domicile Joan lived like a vagabond, moving from place to place and never settling down. As a result of the Great Depression which began in 1929, many men were jobless and became vagabonds.

junction

n. a place where things meet or join; the act of joining or state of being joined; connection The shopping mall is near the junction of the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. The water leak was at the junction of the two pipes.

stratagem

n. a plan or trick to achieve something; a scheme; a ruse Barry devised a clever stratagem for escape from prison; he would pretend to be dead. The doctor asked his associates what their stratagem was for healing the patient.

potentate

n. a powerful ruler; an important person Potentates are usually not elected officials, but instead are the descendants of a line of rajahs, sheiks, emperors, kings, and queens. The Shah of Iran was an Iranian potentate who lived in the 20th century.

memento

n. a remembrance; keepsake; souvenir Leaving the museum, the parents purchased a memento for their daughter. After their date, he gave her a fraternity pin as a memento.

shackle

n. a restraint; handcuffs, chains, irons; a manacle; the act of restraining with such a device The prisoner was led away in shackles. The prisoner was shackled and placed into the squad car. (v.)

stricture

n. a restriction, a limitation, a negative criticism The strictures given by the movie critics were a severe blow to the box office revenue of the picture. New condo owners often find strictures in the bylaws.

plethora

n. a state of excessive fullness; superabundance The Christmas tree was surrounded by a plethora of gifts for the seven children in the family. Jake opened the back door and a plethora of mosquitoes flew in.

synonym

n. a word having the same or nearly the same meaning "Buddy" and "pal" are synonyms. "Cash" and "capital" are synonyms for the word "money."

verge

n. the edge; border; brink He was on the verge of saying something but stopped suddenly. Katie always seems on the verge of a breakdown.

throng

n./v. a large group of people gathered closely together Throngs of revelers gather at Times Square in New York City on New Year's Eve. The assassins thronged around Caesar before they murdered him.

tint

n./v. a shade of a color; hue; to color slightly The blouse was striped in several tints of red or blue. George's speech was tinted with sarcasm about his fellow salesmen.

lope

n./v. a steady, easy gait faster than walking; to move with such a gait They complained his loping strides made many run after him to keep up. The pony was loping until the rabbit ran under her causing the pony to break stride.

proscribe

v. condemn, outlaw, banish, exile, prohibit Olympic rules proscribe the use of drugs by athletes. In the new restaurant, smoking was proscribed everywhere except outdoors.

pucker

v. contract, crease, shrink, to gather into wrinkles Lemon makes your mouth pucker because of the sour effect. The hem was puckered because there was extra material when she shortened the skirt.

petrified

v. convert into stone; numb with astonishment and horror The petrified forest in the Southwest is a beautiful, famous landmark. (adj.) The doctor's suggestion of reduced meals petrified the obese patient.

reticulate

v. cover with a network The farmer reticulates his strawberry plants with netting to keep the birds away from the fruit. The new face of the building was reticulated with a display of geometric figures.

reside

v. dwell, occupy, inhabit, to live in a place Gail resides in the outskirts of Salt Lake City. Jim and Meg reside at the hotel during the Olympic games.

underscore

v. to emphasize by drawing a line beneath; underline; emphasize Remember to underscore all of the key points in the report with red ink. After walking to the mailbox and back, my shortness of breath served to underscore my need to quit smoking!

suppress

v. to end by force; to prevent from being expressed or known; to subdue The governor called in the National Guard to help suppress prison riots. The pretty woman could barely suppress a smile when the seven-year-old said he wanted to marry her.

obsess

v. to haunt the mind to an abnormal degree Captain Ahab is obsessed by the thought of killing Moby Dick. Jerry is seeing a psychiatrist because she tends to obsess over the smallest incidents.

stupefy

v. to make numb with amazement; to stun into helplessness The magician's trick stupefied his audience. Billy stupefied his parents by bringing home a report card with all "A"s.

ponder

v. to think deeply about Some people go to church to ponder the meaning of life. Isaac Newton was one of the first to ponder the idea of gravity.

secede

v. to withdraw from a group or an alliance The American Civil War began when the South seceded from the Union. As a publicity stunt in the 1980s, the Florida Keys tried to secede from the United States to create their own country "The Conch Republic."

transcribe

v. to write down; record; reproduce The court reporter transcribed the testimony of the civil court trial, The class transcribed notes from the professor's lecture on pharmacology.

subjugate

v. vanquish; make subservient; suppress In Mexico, the Spanish Conquistadors subjugated the Aztecs to do their bidding. An aggressive woman, Hilda subjugated her mind-mannered husband and made him do all the housework.

totter

v. walk with faltering steps; to sway or rock The old man tottered unsteadily down the street. As the earth trembled in a strong earthquake, the building tottered from side to side.

resurgent

adj. able to rise after defeat After losing the first two sets, the resurgent Pete Sampras won the next three sets to win the match. Resurgent and strong determination help dedicated climbers finally conquer Mount Everest.

virulent

adj. actively poisonous; intensely noxious; lethal The virulent fever claimed many victims during the yellow fever outbreak. A virulent rumor almost ruined Connie's reputation.

primal

adj. being first in time; original; of importance The need for love is a primal instinct. Having a date for the prom seems a primal concern to many girls.

prodigious

adj. enormous in size, quantity, degree; marvelous; amazing The construction of the Panama Canal was a prodigious undertaking. Prodigious marathon runners run twenty-six miles in a few hours.

provident

adj. having foresight, prudent, parsimonious, frugal Frank was a provident man who prepared for his future. We must be provident with food supplies during the hurricane season.

undisposed

adj. not disposed of; not favorably inclined; not prepared Pete and Susan are disinclined to work and undisposed to starve. John was disposed to find a job but undisposed to do any work.

stalwart

adj. very loyal to someone or something; sturdily built; having physical strength Never weakening in her resolve, Nancy has always been a stalwart supporter of medical research. A stalwart friend will stand by you unconditionally.

penance

n. act done in repentance for a wrongdoing As penance for having a party while my parents were away, I have to clean the house every Saturday for the next year. Frank felt that for robbing the old shopkeeper, he must pay penance to God.

pompadour

n. hairstyle for a man or a woman In former times, men wore powdered wigs and big pompadour hairstyles. The pompadour was named after the unusual hairstyles of the famous Madame Pompadour.

partisan

n. supporter of a person, group or cause; adj. showing bias The victim's partisans rallied to support his cause. Advertising agents should be partisan to the products they sell.

mirage

n. unreal reflection; an optical illusion Her beauty was mostly a mirage created by the art of cosmetics. Desert caravans often see mirages on days when heat waves reflect off the burning sands.

sophistry

n. unsound or misleading but clever argument The used car salesman was an expert at sophistry, which is why he had such a great sales record. Adam's sophistry helped get him through college.

quell

v. to extinguish; to put down or suppress by force The mother attempted to quell the infant's cries by singing a lullaby. The National Guard was sent in to try to quell the rioting crowd.

personify

v. to think of or represent as having human qualities; to typify In her poem, she personifies death as a man crawling toward a gate. Benjamin Franklin personifies all the finest attributes of the Revolutionary Period.

rife

adj. abundant; great in number or amount Diseases are rife throughout the poorer sections of India. A new, tough administrator was sent to restructure the hospital, which was rife with errors.

voluntary

adj. done of one's free will; unforced; done consciously THe hospital is supported by voluntary contributions and volunteer workers. Winking is a voluntary muscular action.

robust

adj. hale, hardy, energetic, able-bodied, vigorous Such strenuous exercises could only be endured by a robust individual. The robust, healthy man easily carried the frail child to safety.

upright

adj. honest; moral; virtuous; standing erect Herb pretended to play the upright piano at the party. Chester was an upright citizen noted for his integrity in business dealings.

mammoth

adj. huge; gigantic Herman Melville's title character, Moby Dick, is a mammoth whale. When Jane returned from vacation, she found a mammoth amount of work piled on her desk.

lax

adj. irresponsible, not diligent, relaxed The coach was too lax about training, and his team finished with a losing record. John's lax habit of paying his bills on time was reflected on his credit report.

peremptory

adj. irrevocable, decisive, final, dictatorial The general issued a peremptory order that overrode the major's earlier directions. My parents' peremptory refusal ended my thoughts of attending college in Europe.

tenable

adj. justifiable; rational; viable; defensible "Ignorance is bliss" is no longer a tenable excuse for poor performance. Since tenable means refers to something able to be defended, untenable means unable to be defended.

notorious

adj. known for something bad; infamous; blatant Cleveland's guest at the party was a notorious jewel thief from London. Although innocent, Keith's notorious reputation made job-hunting difficult.

sallow

adj. lacking color; pale; sickly-looking Myra returned the flowers to the florist because they arrived sallow and droopy, instead of fresh and colorful. A person with jaundice appears to have a sallow complexion.

pusillanimous

adj. lacking courage or resolution, cowardly The lion was the pusillanimous character in the Wizard of Oz. His first night on the job, the pusillanimous cop turned and ran away during the holdup.

lackluster

adj. lacking energy and effort; lacking brilliance; dull The group gave a lackluster portrayal of Shakespeare's play. My hair is so limp and lackluster I can't do a thing with it.

lackadaisical

adj. lacking energy and vitality; languid A lackadaisical attitude on the football field invites physical injury. Her lackadaisical attitude created the illusion she was not a responsible person.

raucous

adj. loud, excited, and not controlled; rowdy and wild The audience broke out in raucous laughter after the off-color joke. Linda had such a raucous sixteenth birthday party that her parents grounded her until she is eighteen!

vociferous

adj. loud; noisy A vociferous group of girls rushed out of class to start summer vacation. Randy was very vociferous in criticizing Charlotte's plan for fundraising.

lush

adj. luxuriant; characterized by richness or abundance Their backyard is like a paradise with lush foliage everywhere. Cindy brushed back her lush dark hair.

objective

adj. not influenced by personal prejudice or feelings; unbiased; fair or real; impartial Guidance counselors are objective, listening to both sides of students' stories. Jurors must come to a fair and objective verdict regardless of personal feelings and opinions.

ultimate

adj. of the greatest possible size or degree; maximum Steve is never satisfied when it comes to surfing, he's in search for the ultimate wave. Donald's ultimate dream was to retire at the age of thirty-five and live in Hawaii.

residual

adj. remaining behind as a residue; left over Although the worst of it has been removed, the residual oil from the spill still has to be cleaned up. There was a residual bitterness between the remaining clans in the aftermath of the war.

taciturn

adj. reserved in speech; sparing of words; quiet Joseph was so taciturn we couldn't tell if he had enjoyed the party or not. The advantage of being taciturn is that when you speak rarely, you seldom say anything stupid.

soporific

adj. tending to cause sleep, inducing sleep Dan took Benedryl for his rash, but the soporific effects had him dozing out for hours. Rip Van Winkle did not need anything soporific to help him sleep for twenty years.

unsung

adj. unrecognized; uncelebrated; not praised or acclaimed All members of the U.S. Marine's 1st Division were unsung heroes in the Pacific. Character actors in movies give notable but unsung performances.

redoubtable

adj. widely known and esteemed, eminent The company wanted a redoubtable celebrity to be the spokeswoman for their new product line. The redoubtable President Carter is working for Habitat for Humanity.

swindler

n. a cheat; a con man; fraud; deceiver; charlatan Carson was a distinguished-looking man who was known as a real estate swindler. The swindler got away with over $500 by cheating the other poker players.

malice

n. a desire or intention to harm others or see them suffer Our government is based on justice, with malice toward none. We could not believe that such a young girl could harbor such malice toward her neighbors.

mosaic

n. a detailed pattern made from many different tiles or pieces At the Caracas Race Track, a mosaic mural depicting a horse race is displayed. The wall surrounding the house was covered with mosaic artwork.

mercenary

n. a hired soldier; someone who will do anything for money England hired Hessians as mercenaries during the American Revolution. Some of the people involved in Watergate were considered mercenaries.

shrine

n. a holy site; sacred tomb; monument Every day women from the village come to pray at the shrine of the Virgin Mary. In the state of Pennsylvania, Gettysburg is a national shrine of the American Civil War.

witticism

n. a joke Starting with a few witticisms is a good way to break the ice with an audience before making a speech. Witticisms are not appropriate at a funeral.

saga

n. a long story, often telling the history of a family The saga of Odysseus is an ancient adventure story retold throughout history. Moby Dick is a saga written by Herman Melville about a huge whale and the man who would kill him at any cost.

sybarite

n. a person devoted to luxury and pleasure Being a billionaire, John lived the life of a sybarite, buying pleasure at any price. Sybarites were citizens of Sybaris, an ancient Greek city in southern Italy.

tier

n. a row or rank Our seats at the opera house were in the third tier of the balcony. The Black Forest chocolate cake was made in five tiers for the party.

seminary

n. a school for religious training Scott decided not to become a minister and left the seminary to attend college and become an attorney. Bill attended a Baptist seminary in Georgia.

tryst

n. a secret meeting, especially of lovers; a rendezvous Mary and Bryan arranged a tryst after school, behind the library. The three bank robbers arranged a secret tryst where they would not be seen by neighbors.

panjandrum

n. a self-important or pretentious person, a bigwig Many companies hire panjandrums to advertise their products. A list of panjandrums was used to obtain donations for the campaign.

shibboleth

n. a slogan, motto, catchword; any usage that distinguishes one group from another. The secret handshake is a shibboleth of Dad's men's club. "We bring good things to life" is the shibboleth for General Electric Company.

stopgap

n. a temporary measure Candles are a stopgap for light when electricity fails. As a stopgap, Congress passed appropriations to keep the government operating.

subterfuge

n. an action taken to hide something from someone; a trick; a ruse His excuse that he missed his own wedding because he was lost in the woods sounded more like subterfuge than truth. The customs official discovered the diamond smuggler's subterfuge of concealing diamonds in a candy bar.

pseudonym

n. an alias or false name; an assumed name Samuel Clemens's pseudonym was Mark Twain. Most people have several pseudonyms for internet chat rooms.

precedent

n. example, pattern The winning time was a precedent that all other runners tried to break. Helen set a precedent as the first woman president in the corporation.

prowess

n. exceptional skill and bravery The prowess of the Sioux chief, Crazy Horse, in leading his warriors into battle, is legendary. Although Joey brags of his gold prowess, his friends do not admit it.

profusion

n. extravagant expense; an abundant supply or display Jill so impressed her date that when she arrived home, she found a profusion of roses from him. The painter's many creations are a testament to his profusion of creativity.

kismet

n. fate The happy couple attributed the success of their relationship to kismet. It was kismet that they both returned to their old high school on the same day twenty years after graduation.

sloth

n. laziness; sluggishness; lethargy; idleness; a lazy person Jane's character trait of sloth hindered her from getting good jobs. Harper was so tired after working in the steel mill all week, his weekends were devoted to nothing more than being a TV sloth.

usury

n. lending money at excessive or illegal interest rates Banks do not practice usury, but sometimes loan companies do. Credit card interest rates are usury!

sycophant

n. one who flatters another excessively; fawner Royalty are often surrounded by sycophants who cater to their every whim. The CEO's assistant was a "yes" man, a sycophant.

vestige

n. remaining bit of something; a last trace Brady's diamond rings were the last vestige of her ancestors. The human appendix is a vestige of early mankind.

nostalgia

n. remembrance, longing for the past, homesickness Toni's old records create the feeling of nostalgia when she listens to Sinatra or other old artists. When the couple celebrated their thirtieth wedding anniversary by visiting Niagara Falls, feelings of nostalgia embraced them.

retaliation

n. revenge, retribution The soldiers swore retaliation for the unnecessary killing of one of their own. Hannibal declared his attack on Rome was in retaliation for earlier attempts made against him.

premise

n. something to be taken as truth without proof A creative writing course is based on the premise that the students have some writing ability. She charged her purchases on the premise that she would be able to pay for them after paydya.

trumpery

n. something without use or value; rubbish, trash Ned's usual conversation about how hard he works is boring trumpery. Nick sold his garage trumpery to a flea market for next to nothing.

travail

n. strenuous physical or mental labor or effort Modern medicine has helped lessen the travail of childbirth. When his crop of corn began to flourish, he realized all his travail had been worth it.

penchant

n. strong inclination, taste, or liking for something After fasting lunch, Enoch had an urgent penchant for a medium-well-done T-bone steak. Charley had a penchant for card counting and was prohibited from casinos.

yen

n. strong longing or desire The pregnant woman had a yen for pickles and ice cream. Victor has a yen to ask Jennifer out, but he is afraid she will say no.

nihilism

n. total rejection of established laws and institutions Hitler's rise to power was a result of his nihilistic beliefs about the present government. (adj.) Stalin's nihilism marked the continuous reign of terror after the revolution.

putrefy

v. taint, deteriorate, to rot, decompose Vince left the venison on the counter overnight, causing it to putrefy. The putrefied remains of a body were found in the woods. (adj.)

rebuke

v. take to task, scold, reprimand The boss rebuked Jan for throwing out important files by mistake. Jamie's sharp rebuke will hopefully cause the dog to obey next time. (n.)

preclude

v. thwart, hamper, hinder, to prevent something from happening Janice's full schedule will preclude her visit to the countryside. Attendance at the meeting was precluded by the bad weather.

perpetuate

v. to cause to continue or to be remembered We place flowers on Grandmother's grave to perpetuate her memory. The City will help perpetuate the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by naming a street after him.

negate

v. to deny, refuse to admit the truth, to end formally and with authority When counting the votes for the election, the secretary of state's action to stop the hand-counts was negated by the Supreme Court of the State of Florida. Progress on the study has been negated due to the lack of funds.

raze

v. to destroy completely; to knock down completely; to level Developers razed the old buildings on the site to make way for new construction. The city was completely razed by the tornado.

obliterate

v. to destroy entirely; to remove all signs of The hurricane virtually obliterated the small coastal town. Over time, the statue's features were obliterated by the wind and rain, leaving it unrecognizable.

queue

v. to form or to wait in line During the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, fans queued outside the gates the day before and spent the night waiting for the gates to open the following morning. The sisters decided not to attend the movie because a line was queuing up as they arrived, and they didn't want to stand in a queue in the cold, night air. (n.)

purge

v. to free from guilt, to clean out The faculty purged the fraternity house after the drinking incident. The doctor injected the new antibiotic to purge the body of pneumonia.

propound

v. to offer for consideration; to propose or suggest My children propound outlandish reasons they have to be taken to the toy store. Since the group was still hungry, I propounded that they return to our house for dessert.

ratify

v. to officially approve; endorse; agree to Four countries have now rarefied the agreement. The majority must ratify the amendment before it is enacted.

revive

v. to reawaken, to bring back to life, recovery The injured man was revived after he received medical attention. The repertory company revived musicals from the 1950s for summer stock.

transcend

v. to rise above or go beyond; to surpass Michael Jordan transcended the game of basketball, that many other players have tried to emulate him. John's research transcends the limits of what is currently known about artificial organs.

preempt

v. to take the place of due to priorities, usurp The homecoming court presentation preempted the normal halftime show. An emergency announcement preempted the regularly-scheduled TV show.

supersede

v. to take the place of; to make obsolete; to replace There are many new environmental laws superseding each other, so it is impossible to know which one is in effect. Every month it seems some new medical study on the best care for the heart supersedes the last study.

tantalize

v. to tease by arousing expectations Jessica tantalized many with her dancing, but she refused all offers of a date. The aroma of fresh-baked bread tantalized us.

languish

v. to become weak or feeble; sag with loss of strength An outdoorsman all his life, Mr. Franklin quickly languished in his job as a night watchman. (To languish is to be languid.) The fish in the aquarium hardly stirred, moving languidly when they moved at all. (adv.)

kindle

v. to cause to burn or ignite; to arouse or inspire Because Christine once had feelings for him, Joe thought sending flowers might again kindle her affections. The fire kindled when he squirted on some lighter fluid.

ligneous

adj. woodlike The ligneous material made the furniture very heavy and dark. They polished the ligneous material, resulting in a beautifully finished product.

kilter

n. good working condition; a sound of readiness I used two hooks to ensure the proper kilter of the oil painting. The engine was out of kilter.

loathe

v. to feel intense dislike, to hate or detest Stan loathes cream and sugar in his coffee. In Dr. Seuss's book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," the Grinch loathed Christmas.

lavish

v. to give a lot or too much to; to expend or give abundantly or limitlessly; to squander She lavishes more attention on that dog than she does on her children. I lavished her with so much praise that she began to feel uncomfortable and self-conscious.

lambaste

v. to give a thrashing; scold The drill sergeant lambasted his troops for their poor performance on the obstacle course. The fierce storm lambasted the ship and its crew.

juxtapose

v. to place side by side It is interesting to juxtapose the writings of Mark Twain and Bret Harte. Although the play is a tragedy, several moments of comedy are juxtaposed with the tearful scenes.

well-founded

adj. based on solid evidence or good reason The use of stem cells has been well-founded in medical literature since 1800. Mike's attorney proceeded with a civil case on well-founded documentation.

mundane

adj. commonplace, earthly, everyday, banal Artists often have difficulty with the mundane affairs of normal life. Wealthy people are not familiar with the mundane problems of the working class.

void

adj. empty; blank; vacant; null I felt a complete void in my heart when Charlotte divorced me. (n.) The check was marked void and rewritten to avoid a bank fee.

succulent

adj. full of juice The strawberries were so succulent that we ate as we picked them. She placed a bowl of succulent grapes in front of us and told us to help ourselves.

replete

adj. full or supplied to the utmost We ordered our pizza with "the works"; it was replete with sausage, ham, pepperoni, olives, onions, and anchovies. Bob's replete backpack had everything you needed for camping.

underlying

adj. fundamental; basic; real but not immediately obvious The investigation focused on the underlying causes of the fire. Joe pretends to be a tough guy, but he has the underlying tenderness of a kitten.

tawdry

adj. gaudy and cheap in appearance or nature Shirley's tawdry dress was the talk of all the gossips at the Governor's Ball. The children innocently believed the tawdry jewels in their mother's bureau were valuable.

reputed

adj. generally supposed to be such The reputed gunman was hiding out in a rundown house at the edge of town. Although Mrs. Smith is reputed to be a fine teacher, the kids in her class do not agree.

pretentious

adj. giving the appearance of great importance in an obvious way; showy; self-important The movie star lives in a huge, pretentious house. Melissa was very pretentious when explaining her new position.

skeptical

adj. having or showing doubt; questioning; not easily persuaded Randy said he was skeptical of the company's ability to deliver its quota of tractors in the time allowed on the sales contract. Philip was skeptical when George said he could get four seats on the fifty-yard line at the Super Bowl.

urbane

adj. having polish; suave; elegant; characteristic of major cities The museum director of the Smithsonian is a consummately urbane person. Ronald's urbane behavior stuck out like a sore thumb in the mountain village.

purblind

adj. having poor vision; nearly or partly blind A childhood disease left Helen Keller purblind. The purblind man was undergoing surgery to restore his sight.

telegenic

adj. having qualities that televise well When it was discovered that Phil was telegenic, he was awarded his first TV weatherman job. Judy was so telegenic that she started doing commercials when she was only four years old.

orotund

adj. having strength, richness, fullness, and clarity of sound The speaker's orotund voice projected throughout the auditorium without any microphone. The singer's orotund voice filled the church.

profound

adj. intellectually deep or penetrating; reaching to, rising from, or affecting the depths of one's nature; far-reaching Many psychologists believe violence on television and in films has a profound effect on our behavior toward others. Advertising has a profound effect on the failure or success of many products.

punitive

adj. intended as a punishment The punitive action called by the referee was a ten-minute penalty for the player. The gang had to collectively pay $10,000 in punitive damages for spray-painting the building front.

malicious

adj. intending to cause harm; spiteful The actress denied the malicious rumors, saying that certain people were trying to ruin her career. The vandals left a trail of malicious destruction behind them.

operatic

adj. relating to opera; melodramatic On Verdi night, the opera house performed famous operatic selections. The soprano sang in a warbling, operatic voice.

vigilant

adj. watchful; weary; constantly alert Customs officers are vigilant in checking bags and packages in order to find contraband. The mother alligator is vigilant in protecting her young.

salutary

adj. wholesome, healthful, remedial A low sodium diet has a salutary effect on a person's blood pressure. A two-week vacation in the Bahamas was salutary for Abraham; he looked tanned and well-rested when he returned to wrok.

recluse

n. a person who lives in voluntary isolation from others The other students thought Chloe was a recluse because she chose to stay home and study. The old man lived like a recluse, miles from his nearest neighbor.

negligence

n. carelessness, inconsideration, indifference Hasson's negligence caused her to crash into a parked car on campus. Negligence can be avoided by being conscientious.

wrath

n. extreme or violent rage The Puritans feared the wrath of God for all sins. After being caught cheating, Judi awaited the wrath of the assistant principal.

nom de plume

n. pen or fictitious name The man used a nom de plume and became a successful "female" columnist. The writer's nom de plume insured privacy for her and her family.

responsiveness

n. ready ability to respond, friendliness George's responsiveness at the interview was mediocre, so he was not offered the job. Her friendly responsiveness makes Andrea one of the most popular girls in the class.

monarchy

n. supreme power or sovereignty held by a single person, kingdom Monaco is a monarchy, one of last remaining such kingdoms. Kings, queens, and monarchies are disappearing from the earth.

revelry

n. uninhibited celebration; joyful, exuberant activity The revelry on the Fourth of July could be heard for miles. The loud gaiety and revelry from the New Year's Eve party attracted the police.

treachery

n. unworthiness; trickery' a betrayal of trust Spies who deal in treachery against their own countries are guilty of treason. Mata Hari is a famous German spy who was treacherous against her native France during World War I.

vicissitude

n. upheaval; natural change; change in fortune Carlos and Neru remained friends through the vicissitudes of twenty-five years. Returning from the jungle, he struggled with the vicissitudes of city life.

refute

v. rebut, invalidate, challenge, prove to be false Columbus refuted the idea that the world was flat. By actually cloning them the scientist refuted earlier claims that stem cells couldn't be used for cloning.

rebut

v. refute evidence or argument, to contradict, to prove to be false In his argument, West rebutted his opponents' charges and won the case. He rebutted the paper's criticism by explaining the true circumstances.

suffice

v. to be enough; to be adequate Three pies should suffice for a dinner party of six. Our old car will have to suffice until we can afford to buy a new one.

validate

v. to declare legally valid; legalize The couple decided to marry and validate their loving relationship. The parking ticket was validated by a merchant in the shopping center.

wane

v. to decrease gradually; to weaken; to fade away By the late '70s, the band's popularity had begun to wane. The beach is waning and in years to come, may disappear entirely.

rout

v. to defeat completely; to root, search, poke around; to drive or force out Sue routed Mary in the race for class president, winning by ninety percent of the vote. Pigs are so dirty because they rout in the mud all day, searching for food.

stereotype

v. to fix a conventional notion or concept n. a fixed conventional notion, an oversimplified conception, opinion, or image of a person or group usually critical in judgment Everyone at our school tends to stereotype cheerleaders. Calling all blondes dumb is a stereotype that is obviously ludicrous.

transfix

v. to fix in place or hold motionless; to rivet The mouse was transfixed by the snake's stare. You can transfix deer, making them stand still as statues, by shining a light in their eyes.

wince

v. to flinch; to shrink back Certain sounds, like the scratching of fingernails on chalkboards, make people wince. The puppy winced in fear when the man with a stick tried to pet it.

revert

v. to go back in thought, action, or speech When the whole class started to fail, the teacher reverted to his old way of teaching so they could start learning again. When he realized that I did not speak Italian, he reverted to French so we could converse.

steep

v. to immerse, saturate, absorb, or imbue The women picked herbs to steep in water, making a fine tea. The Jewish religion is steeped in religion.

stoke

v. to poke; stir up; to feed (as a fire) Gerry stoked the furnace by shoveling in more coal. The coach's halftime speech stoked his players into a fighting frenzy.

vilify

v. to speak ill of; defame; slander; libel Both generals vilified their opponents as unpatriotic turncoats. Carl was wrong to vilify his children in front of their friends.

shear

v. to strip or deprive; to clip or cut Sheep are sheared of their wool once or twice a year, depending on how fast it grows. Napoleon was sheared of his power before he was sent into exile.

portend

v. to warn of as an omen; forecast The black clouds portended a terrible storm. The king believed that his dreams portended some great event, so he approached his sages for an interpretation.

retort

v./n. to reply in a sharp fashion; a biting remark When Gerald's father told him to turn the game off, he retorted with "Make me!" Sasha's biting retort quieted the crowd, so the speaker could continue.

unfaltering

adj. firm; steady When Helen became mentally ill, Eve helped her with unfaltering kindness. Gatsby's unfaltering love for Daisy is the basis of the novel 'The Great Gatsby'.

nocturnal

adj. of or occurring at night Nocturnal animals sleep during the day and are active at night. A nocturnal person is one who stays up late at night.

pallid

adj. pale, faint or deficient in color Her pallid countenance gave her the appearance of a walking ghost. The dress was a pallid shade of yellow that almost looked white.

luminary

n. a celestial body; a person attaining eminence John was a luminary among professional bowlers. FDR was a luminary as president and the founder of Social Security.

totem

n. a natural object with animals or birds assumed as an emblem The "low man on the totem pole" is an expression which means the bottom or lowest of a hierarchy. The natives sold small totem poles as souvenirs in Colombia, South America.

vigor

n. energy; vitality; enthusiasm; strength Sherman presented his ideas with a great deal of vigor. The leader of the Arctic expedition was a man of great vigor.

zest

n. keen relish; hearty; enjoyment; gusto Jesse Owens had a great zest for winning gold medals. The special zest of this soup was from the chili pepper sauce.

muster

v./n. to collect or gather; the act of inspection or critical examination In 1836, the Texans at the Alamo mustered all the troops available to defend against the invading Mexican Army. The restaurant owner inspected the kitchen and said the eating utensils did not pass muster and that the dishwasher must wash them over again.

tailor

v./n. to shape or alter; garment-maker; designer It is the job of an architect to tailor the house to the owner's needs. A Savile Row tailor in London makes all of William's suits.

relish

v./n. to take pleasure in; pleasurable appreciation; an appetizer The kicker relished the moment as the football split the uprights for three points. The type of pickle relish makes a hamburger tasty.

vitriolic

adj. acerbic; scathing; caustic; full of bitterness To be vitriolic is to say or do something so terrible you may never be forgiven. Joanne's temperament was vitriolic; she was full of hate for the world.

prehensile

adj. adapted for grasping or holding The elephant uses its trunk in a prehensile manner to grab its food. It is amazing the way a prehensile eagle carries large fish in his claws.

unctuous

adj. affected; excessively smooth; suave; mug; oily Joseph's personality was unctuous, and we always felt like he was selling snake oil. Carlson's unctuous tongue had the old ladies at the nursing home in the palm of his hand.

ostensible

adj. appearing as such; offered as genuine or real The ostensible reason that Mr. Jones became a substitute teacher was that he needed the money. The ostensible purpose of this book is to improve the reader's vocabulary.

zealous

adj. ardently devoted to a purpose The zealous teenagers cleaned up the house, hoping their parents would let them have a party. Many newly religious people are quite zealous about getting others to convert.

oblique

adj. at an angle; indirect or evasive The lattice trim formed oblique angles at the base of the front porch. The restaurant owner made oblique references to the impatience of his customers without stating specific names.

rudimentary

adj. basic, crude, undeveloped; related to fundamental principles or skills Before we studied it in history class, we had only a rudimentary understanding of that time period. The eating utensils and tools of early cave dwellers during the Ice Age were very rudimentary.

nonchalant

adj. behaving in a calm manner, showing that you are not worried or frightened; not showing excitement or anxiety; coolly confident, unflustered, or unworried; casually indifferent She waited her turn to perform, trying to look nonchalant, but her stomach was tried in knots. The well-prepared trainer appeared nonchalant when he stepped into the circus ring with the Bengal tiger.

subsidiary

adj. being in a secondary or subordinate relationship All college sports are subsidiary to football, which earns more money for colleges than all other collegiate sports together. AT&T is a company owned by a larger company, Bell Communications. Therefore, AT&T is a subsidiary of Bell.

proprietary

adj. belonging to a proprietor; characteristic of an owner of a property The father treated the rental car in a proprietary way, taking care as if it were his own. The proprietors of the stores in the mall met to discuss ways to increase their business. (n.)

munificent

adj. benevolent, very generous, lavish Chelsea Park is one of the munificent gifts to the city for the children. Dr. Monte, in his will, left a munificent amount of money to the Mote Marine Lab.

peerless

adj. better than all others; unmatched in excellence The pageant winner had peerless beauty. His peerless abilities were rewarded when he was named the employee of the year.

octogenarian

adj. between the ages of 80 and 90 years old. When my grandfather became an octogenarian, the president sent him a birthday card. These days it is not unusual to see many octogenarians driving on the interstate.

ulterior

adj. beyond what is seen or avowed; intentionally kept concealed Sue's ulterior motive as a volunteer nurse was to meet some eligible bachelors. When Ralph volunteered to wash the dishes and take out the garbage, his mother suspected he had an ulterior motive, like borrowing the family car.

sectarian

adj. bigoted or narrow-minded Graham was sectarian when it came to his educational views; his way was the only way. John has no racial or religious prejudices; in this respect he absolutely was not sectarian.

plucky

adj. brave and spirited; courageous Because Roger has such a plucky attitude, we asked him to be the captain of our skydiving team. Her pluckiness made her a perfect candidate for the police force.

succinct

adj. brief and to the point; concise and terse During halftime, the coach inspired his players with a succinct plan on how they could win the game. The attorneys had a succinct meeting in the parking lot before entering the courthouse.

pithy

adj. brief, forceful and meaningful in expression; concise In just a few minutes, John gave a pithy evaluation of the president's lengthy healthcare agenda. The consumer limited her statements to pithy complaints about the store's service.

resplendent

adj. brilliant; filled with splendor; radiant; shining Chloe wore a formal gown resplendent with red and gold sequins. The gulf is absolutely resplendent under the full moon.

surly

adj. broodingly and sullenly unhappy; bad-tempered; testy The neighborhood teens disliked the surly owner of the supermarket who always checked their IDs. The surly sky spelled danger as black clouds drifted over the horizon.

placid

adj. calm and peaceful; smooth or tranquil The placid lake was perfect for canoeing. Her child had a placid temperament, unlike my little wild one!

sedate

adj. calm, quiet, or composed Everyone at the funeral was uncharacteristically sedate. The puppy was sedate enough that we could let him out of his crate for an hour or two each day.

malleable

adj. capable of being shaped, easily altered or influenced, flexible The poll for the election became malleable when one party overloaded the results. The class decided to choose a malleable metal for the sculpture.

viable

adj. capable of living; vivid; real; stimulating Ricardo's plan to raise a sunken ship by filling it with ping-pong balls proved not to be viable. The desert is not a viable location for planting fruit trees.

scrupulous

adj. careful of small details; honest; conscientious Because his parents were such scrupulous people, even as a boy Jim learned the difference between and wrong. President Abraham Lincoln is known for his scrupulousness in the conduct of his affairs.

sociopathic

adj. characterized by antisocial behavior lacking a sense of moral responsibility Her anger at everyone who disagreed with her and her other sociopathic behaviors made Joan a poor candidate for Student Body president. The boxer's sociopathic tendencies made him a dangerous fighter who showed no mercy to his weaker opponents.

monolithic

adj. characterized by massiveness, rigid, uniform, usually formed from a single thing Jaime placed a monolithic stone in his back yard. Philip Morris is a monolithic corporation with powerful holdings worldwide.

rash

adj. characterized by speaking or acting too quickly; reckless He knew his behavior was rash, but once he started he was unable to stop himself. I couldn't believe Vanessa could be so rash as to criticize our principal to his face.

sedulous

adj. characterized by steady attention and effort; diligent The worker's sedulous attention to detail made it possible for the company to manufacture a quality product. The football team's sedulous practice sessions produced a strong, winning team.

precipitous

adj. characterized by unthinkable boldness and haste Henry's precipitous plan was to join the Navy with a fake I.D. Joan asked Gary to marry her in a precipitous manner, writing her request on a billboard along the heavily-traveled Route 7.

winsome

adj. charming; winning; engaging; attractive Virginia was a winsome young heiress, and her money did not hurt her desirability. Scott is a winsome bachelor who is invited to many parties.

sophomoric

adj. childish and silly; juvenile; immature Mr. Truman's behavior of dancing on the tabletop was sophomoric for a sixty-year-old man. Robert's sophomoric remarks at the business meeting embarrassed the whole department.

unequivocal

adj. clear and firm; allowing no doubt or uncertainty The U.S. Surgeon General has taken an unequivocal stand against smoking. Parents must have unequivocal rules for their children to follow.

vivid

adj. clear; bright; distinct; radiant; stirring The jockeys wore vivid racing shirts as they paraded their horses to the starting post. The old professor had a vivid memory of his college days.

serene

adj. clear; calm; tranquil George likes to go to the lake on weekends because it is so serene and peaceful away from the city. (The state of being serene is serenity.) Marsha was the picture of serenity as she calmly marched down the aisle in her wedding dress. (n.)

maladroit

adj. clumsy; inept Actor Chevy Chase was famous for his maladroit roles. Bob was upset with the mechanic's maladroit attempt to repair his car.

venerable

adj. commanding respect, impressive; revered because of age The venerable congressman, Sam Rayburn, was honored with a building named after him. The venerable halls of the abbey are lined with paintings of church dignitaries.

putative

adj. commonly accepted Punting on the fourth down is a putative act in football. The putative method of shopping these days is paying by credit card.

quotidian

adj. commonplace; ordinary; everyday Brushing one's teeth is a quotidian event. Winning the lottery certainly isn't a quotidian event.

querulous

adj. complaining, grumbling, whining, disagreeable The tired and haggard mother was exhausted by her querulous children's constant demands. The querulous old woman was never satisfied with her treatment no matter how hard the nurses tried.

unimpeachable

adj. completely honest and moral; above doubt; unquestionable Lord Fletcher was a man of unimpeachable integrity and character, loved by all who knew him. The informant proved to be an unimpeachable source of information.

pecuniary

adj. consisting of or relating to money Alex's concerns about college were specifically pecuniary since his father was out of work. Ryan wanted to take Jessie to the prom but couldn't afford to because of his pecuniary problems.

rustic

adj. countrified, unsophisticated, unpolished, rural The rustic cabin in the mountains caused many hardships for urban people. Every fall we enjoy the rustic scenery of the rural countryside.

verdant

adj. covered with vegetation; green; leafy; inexperienced Verdant is a word derived from a French word meaning "green." The verdant hills in the distance look like a picture postcard.

palatable

adj. delicious, appetizing, tasty, easily accepted A great chef can cook a palatable meal without much effort. Although many ideas for a revolving scholarship were rejected, the alumni meeting produced a few palatable ones.

somber

adj. depressing; gloomy; dark Most everyone who attends a funeral wears somber clothing, generally black or gray. The music was gloomy, and it soon cast a somber spirit over the entire audience.

reprehensible

adj. deserving of reproof, rebuke, or censure Georgia's manners were reprehensible; she should know better than to eat with her hands. Dogfighting is a reprehensible act, as well as an illegal one.

unbecoming

adj. detracting from one's appearance, character or reputation Officer Kelly was demoted for unbecoming conduct at the girls school. Hank's full beard was unbecoming in combination with his bald head and pot belly.

pious

adj. devout or virtuous; holy Elizabeth piously said her prayers every night before bed. (adv.) The nuns lived a pious life in the convent.

rambunctious

adj. difficult to control, handle, turbulent King John became rambunctious and greedy while Richard was on the crusades. The party room became rambunctious, and the police were summoned to restore control.

uncanny

adj. difficult to explain; weird; seemingly beyond the ordinary John's wife has an uncanny ability to anticipate his words. Barb's uncanny resemblance to Tia is scary.

tripartite

adj. divided into or consisting of three parts United States, France, and England formed a tripartite agreement that governed West Germany after World War II. The property owner entered into a tripartite agreement with the real estate broker which covered obtaining governments permits, developing the property, and then selling the developed lots.

surreptitious

adj. done or acting in a secret, sly manner Helen surreptitiously crept around the car, hoping to get the cat out from under it. (adv.) The magician was so surreptitious during his magic trick that the audience was completely fooled.

torpid

adj. dormant; inactive; lethargic During winter, bears sleep torpidly in caves. (adv.)

susceptible

adj. easily influenced or likely to be hurt by something; vulnerable; receptive to Some people are more susceptible to peer pressure than others. Omar is very susceptible to colds.

tractable

adj. easily managed or controlled; obedient; tame A dude ranch needs tractable horses for the city dudes to ride. Boris's dog was easy to train because he was friendly and tractable.

squeamish

adj. easily shocked, offended, upset, or nauseated Nancy does not like to go to any movies rated higher than PG-13 because she is squeamish. Many children are so squeamish that they are afraid to go to the doctor's office.

omnivorous

adj. eating any food We were afraid that the dinner guests might be vegetarian; however, they were quite omnivorous. A number of the larger species of dinosaurs was omnivorous.

subtle

adj. elusive; discerning; not obvious Burt's subtle understanding of labor problems made him a natural for the job as a labor negotiator. Jenny's way of flirting with her eyes was very subtle yet effective on boys she wanted to encourage.

stark

adj. empty or bare; blunt; complete or utter; extreme The walls of the house were stark from floor to ceiling; not a photo or picture was to be seen anywhere. In the '70s, running through public places stark naked was a fad called streaking.

postern

adj. entrance in the rear, a gate, a door, private entrance, castle The new king slipped unnoticed out of the castle by the postern to meet a commoner. The guard was left orders to permit the important visitor to enter by the postern to avoid the crowds at the public entrance.

volatile

adj. evaporating quickly; unstable; vaporizing; eruptive Ether is a volatile liquid and must be kept in very tightly closed containers. The situation in the Middle East is volatile and may erupt into violence at any time.

smarmy

adj. excessively flattering; ingratiating; servile The MC gave a smarmy "hello" and called the audience the best ever. Gerald said that being smarmy is just a fancy word for "sucking up" to someone.

redundant

adj. excessively wordy, repetitive Jimmy's multiple stories of his success became redundant, causing people in the audience to doze. Bob's redundant report was fifteen pages long; it could have been shortened to eight pages.

odious

adj. extremely unpleasant; causing and deserving hate; loathsome or repellent; vile; evil As the odious monster appeared, the crowd immediately dispersed. The candidate used such odious tactics to win the election that he was later ousted from office.

nefarious

adj. extremely wicked, villainous, openly evil During wartime, nefarious schemes are often contemplated by both sides. Hinkley's nefarious plot to kill the president was unsuccessful.

moribund

adj. fading out, waning, dying Many of the early customs were moribund by the year 2000. Typewriters have become moribund with the growth of computers.

salubrious

adj. favorable to promoting or contributing to good health A regimen of daily exercise is salubrious to a person's well-being. Green tea is said to be salubrious because it is believed to rid the body of toxins.

receptive

adj. favorable, open-minded, willing to accept The inventor hoped to find the examiner at the patent office in a receptive mood. The class was receptive to the traveling show of European art and enjoyed the cultural lesson.

pregnant

adj. filled with meaning that has not been expressed; significant; having young developing in the uterus There was a pregnant pause in which each knew what the other was thinking. Celine was six months pregnant when she had her baby shower.

pneumatic

adj. filled with or containing compressed gas Billy used a pneumatic pump to fill his bicycle tires. The team carried a portable pneumatic device so they could keep the basketballs inflated.

solvent

adj. financially sound; able to pay all debts After many years of investing and saving his money, Frank finally became solvent. To become solvent three years after college graduation is Robert's main goal.

staunch

adj. firm or steadfast in principle; loyal The Green Bay Packers have staunch fans who are behind them, win or lose. To be a staunch believer in something means your support of something is ironclad.

ostentatious

adj. flaunting wealth, pretentious, showing off The grandfather warned his heirs not to be ostentatious with their considerable inheritance. Jane's mother told her the gown was too ostentatious to wear to the party.

mercurial

adj. following no predictable pattern Jeff's mercurial attitude leaves one to wonder if he's responsible. The research for a cancer cure is quite mercurial due to the many side effects.

sequential

adj. following one after another, in an orderly pattern The teacher asked us to put all the playing cards in sequential order. The players roster was listed in sequential order according to their jersey number.

pungent

adj. forceful, sharp or biting to taste or smell Sonny's beef ribs were served with a hot, pungent sauce. Bennett's pungent satires made him quite a few enemies on the newspaper staff.

redolent

adj. fragrant, aromatic, savory On Labor Day, neighborhoods are redolent with the aroma of barbecued foods. European stores in the Caribbean are redolent with French perfumes.

sinister

adj. frightening; evil; malign; threatening After years of silence, sinister rumblings were heard from the volcano above the village. The height of the movie's action came when the sinister villain abducted the young girl and tied her to the railroad tracks.

voluptuous

adj. full and alluring in shape; luxurious Everyone turned as the voluptuous woman entered the restaurant. A thick, fluffy, voluptuous cream puff is one of the mankind's greatest inventions.

plaintive

adj. full of an expression of sorrow The plaintive feelings in the song expressed the writer's despair. Judy's plaintive reaction to the loss of her pet was expected.

timorous

adj. full of fear The timorous dog cowered in the corner. The timorous child would not let go of his mother's hand all evening.

magnanimous

adj. generous; noble in spirit The mayoral candidate was magnanimous in defeat, telling his constituents to support his opponent. Lucy magnanimously gave the taxi driver a tip even though she knew he had taken her on a circuitous route to the theater.

pictorial

adj. graphic, represented by drawings or picture After the film was developed, the group met to share pictorial memories of the vacation. Travelogues are pictorial presentations with a narrated background.

tightfisted

adj. greedy; stingy; tight; penny-pinching Bart's so tightfisted he never donates to a charity, not even to buy Girl Scout cookies. We all thought Grandfather was tightfisted until we learned of his wonderful generosity.

remiss

adj. guilty of neglect, lacking due care, lax He is terribly remiss with his family since his professional life occupies about twenty hours a day. Sharon was remiss in not calling 911 and failing to take her mother to the hospital.

rampant

adj. happening often or becoming worse, usually in an uncontrolled way; widespread Diseases are rampant in the dirty, overcrowded refugee camps. Crime is rampant in some major cities.

posthumous

adj. happening or continuing after one's death; published after the death of an author Painters often struggle through life penniless, since their fame and value is often posthumous. The war veteran's wife received his posthumous Purple Heart.

spontaneous

adj. happening without apparent cause; impromptu; voluntary; impetuous The forest fire was caused by the spontaneous combustion of volatile materials. Judith's remarks were spontaneous and completely unplanned.

onerous

adj. hard to endure; burdensome; oppressive Bob's onerous duties included clearing the south forty acres and planting it with tomatoes and carrots before nightfall. After our truck ran out of gas, we had the onerous task of pushing it two miles to the nearest gas station.

malignant

adj. harmful; evil; dangerous She had to begin treatment immediately because the tumor was malignant. We wished the neighbors would leave; they were a malignant presence in our neighborhood.

strident

adj. harsh-sounding; shrill The strident sounds of battle were all around us, and we feared for our lives. The band needed more practice to sound less strident.

terminal

adj. having a fatal disease in its final stages My grandfather was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Mary is a volunteer at the hospital and works with terminal patients.

staccato

adj. having abrupt, disconnected elements; rapid fire The Mexican's speech came in staccato bursts of Spanish that the tourists could not understand. Playing the guitar in a staccato style is typical of flamenco music.

voracious

adj. having an insatiable appetite; ravenous Carl was voracious in his pursuit of bodybuilding. Teenage boys tend to be voracious eaters.

noisome

adj. having an unpleasant odor; harmful, or injurious to health Tobacco smoke is now considered so noisome that smoking has become prohibited in a majority of public places. When I opened the garbage can, the odor was so noisome I thought I might suffocate before I could get the lid back on.

surreal

adj. having an unreal quality; dreamlike There is a surreal quality to Jane's paintings; her flowers look real and unreal at the same time. There is a surreal calm in the eye of a hurricane; the winds abate and a strange stillness invades the air.

potent

adj. having great power or influence; mightily cogent A potent fighting force finally conquered the raiding troops. Several potent arguments were heard before the amendment was defeated.

voluminous

adj. having great volume or fullness; large; extensive Her hair is as voluminous as a lion's mane. The novel War and Peace takes forever to read because it is so voluminous.

predominant

adj. having greater importance or influence; most common Seven girls have the predominant role as cheerleaders, with only two boys on the squad. The predominant feature of the hammerhead shark is the shape of its head.

mystic

adj. having hidden or spiritually symbolic meaning; arousing a sense of mystery; enigmatic Meditation and yoga supposedly can give you a mystic feeling, as though you are one with the universe. The thick fog hanging over the sea and the distant sound of foghorns emitted a mystic aura, and we half expected to see the Loch Ness Monster emerge from the deep.

perceptive

adj. having keen insight, or intuitive understanding Her reports are full of perceptive insights. My best friend was always perceptive of my feelings, no matter how I tried to hide them.

prurient

adj. having lewd or indecent thoughts; characterized by an extreme interest in sex Most teenage boys have a prurient fascination with young fashion models. The prurient content of that movie makes it unsuitable for the younger crowds.

virile

adj. having mainly strength or vigor In order to be chosen as a professional wrestler, one must be clearly virile. His virile qualities are what attracted me to him.

sinuous

adj. having many curves, bends or turns; winding Climbing the sinuous road, Jeb saw that the maximum speed was fifteen miles per hour. The police were suspicious of arson and asked witnesses sinuous questions about how the forest fire started.

manifold

adj. having many forms, features, or parts When we visited the newspaper office, we realized it is made up of manifold elements. A great poem is comprised of manifold aspects.

unwarranted

adj. having no basis or foundation in fact; groundless Such strong criticism of the fire chief was completely unwarranted as he had been on vacation when the fires took place. The police were censored for the unwarranted entry into the wrong house.

tactless

adj. having no skill in dealing with people; rude; insensitive A tactful person smoothes rough going while a tactless person only makes the problem worse. Brad makes tactless remarks about his wife's weight in front of her.

secular

adj. having nothing to do with religion, pertaining to worldly things Secular humanism believes in promoting human values outside of religion. Our minister's secular hobbies are tennis and waterskiing.

resonant

adj. having or producing a full deep or rich sound, vibrant As a result of the twenty-one gun salute, the resonant thunder could be heard miles away. The resonant voice of the speaker could be heard without a microphone.

omniscient

adj. having or seeming to have unlimited knowledge; all-knowing The magazine claims to be omniscient about everything needed to be successful. The story was told by an omniscient narrator who revealed the thoughts of all the characters.

traitorous

adj. having the character of a traitor; treacherous; perfidious In times of war, any traitorous act may result in a firing squad. Traitorous acts are sometimes considered acts of patriotism by the traitor.

nutritive

adj. having to do with promoting nutrition Older adults like to eat figs for their nutritive benefits. Many foods are considered more nutritive benefits.

omnipotent

adj. having unlimited power or authority The ancient Persian shah was omnipotent. Many in today's society believe that doctors are omnipotent.

puritanical

adj. having very strict standards of moral behavior; rigid; prudish Some very strict religions are puritanical in their teachings. Mary's co-workers thought she was puritanical until they observed her wild behavior at the company picnic.

prestigious

adj. highly esteemed; having an illustrious name or reputation The rich girl was sent to a very prestigious private school. Dad was just promoted to a rather prestigious position in the company and now has a fancy title.

sublime

adj. impressive; inspiring awe; majestic The sublime melody worked itself throughout the entire musical. The priest's sublime voice made him the object of admiration in his parish.

taboo

adj. improper or unacceptable The cow is a sacred animal in India, so eating beef is a religious taboo. (n.) Witchcraft was taboo in early America, sometimes leading to the punishment of death.

vulnerable

adj. in danger; unprotected; open to attack; susceptible Children who have not been inoculated are vulnerable to chickenpox. Betsy has always been vulnerable to criticism because of her unorthodox lifestyle.

unwitting

adj. inadvertent; unintentional; accidental The innocent cab driver became an unwitting accomplice in the bank robbery. Harvey's insult, although unwitting, pained Janice no end.

untenable

adj. incapable of being defended, occupied or lived in; weak or illogical The players' demands are untenable, so it appears the strike will continue. The house was neglected for so long that it is now untenable.

truculent

adj. inclined toward conflict; eager to fight A truculent attitude seldom wins friends or influences people in a positive way. Just because your birthday cake was full of bugs, you don't have to be so truculent about it.

perfunctory

adj. indifferent, apathetic, unenthusiastic, careless The boss expected no answer to his perfunctory question about the state of my health. The perfunctory audience was relieved when the speaker finally concluded.

obsequious

adj. ingratiating, fawning, subservient Hemingway, the chief executive, prefers obsequious underlings as they bolster his ego. The obsequious royal household servants follow demanding rules.

novel

adj. innovative, unusual, original, new My advice to you is to take a novel approach when you attempt to solve the problem. Thomas Edison's novel idea to replace the gas lantern was the lightbulb.

torrid

adj. intensely hot; burning; passionate; rapid Many romance novels contain torrid love affairs. A torrid zone is a region that is hot all year long.

willful

adj. intentional; insistent on having one's way Petty thievery is a willful act that sometimes leads to a life of crime. Dean willfully joined the Army before there was time to draft him. (adv.)

profane

adj. irreligious, agnostic, atheistic, sacrilegious, secular Karl used more proper language in place of profane terms to avoid criticism. Both sacred and profane music was played at the memorial service.

subordinate

adj. lower in position, importance, or rank; inferior A private is subordinate to every other military rank, the bottom of the totem pole. Nina was disliked at work because she acted as if her coworkers were her subordinates. (n.)

sumptuous

adj. luxurious and expensive; lavish; splendid I could never afford to live in such a sumptuous apartment. Grandma prepares a sumptuous Christmas dinner every year.

supine

adj. lying on the back with the face turned upward; inclined When the investigators arrived, the body was still supine in the middle of the living room floor. The chiropractor had Jill lie in a supine position so he could adjust her neck.

propitious

adj. marked by favorable signs or conditions, opportune, well-timed We have gathered together on this propitious occasion to report a profit. They phoned at 3:00 AM, which was not a propitious time since I was asleep.

sultry

adj. marked by much heat; damp and warm The belly dancer swirled past the audience with numerous sultry hip-swinging moves. The weather had been unbearably sultry all week in Miami.

tempestuous

adj. marked by unrest, disturbance or stormy turbulence The two candidates for office had a long, tempestuous debate, arguing bitterly about the issues. The ship was endangered by the tempestuous roaring winds and high waves.

morose

adj. melancholy, depressed, sulky, sullen Clara felt morose after reading The Shining and turned to the comics for help. Danny's morose attitude was infectious and no fun for his family.

senile

adj. mentally confused usually associated with old age We wanted to hear stories about our family's past, but Grandma was too senile to clearly tell them. Some elderly people become senile long before their bodies wear out.

paramount

adj. most important, influential, significant, superior Helping the injured workers was paramount to their survival. The paramount task of any national political convention is to nominate a candidate.

preeminent

adj. most important, influential, superior The famous young doctor was preeminent in the field of DNA research. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. became preeminent in the battle for civil rights legislation.

progressive

adj. moving forward, dynamic, advancing, ongoing Claude was an up-and-coming progressive politician. Lou Gehrig's disease is a progressive infection which intensifies with time.

poignant

adj. moving, affecting, lamentable, distressing Jesse's hard luck story was full of poignant expressions, bringing tears to many. The stabbing of Carmen was a poignant scene causing great emotion.

pied

adj. multi-colored, especially of more than one color in patches For safety purposes, hot-air balloons are most always pied so they can be seen by powered aircraft flying nearby. The court jester wore a pied hat that matched his multi-colored outfit.

parochial

adj. narrow or confined in point of view; restricted St. Thomas Parochial School was having a holiday honoring their patron saint. The local candidate's views were too parochial for him to become a national figure.

superficial

adj. narrow-minded; short-sighted; on the surface only Fortunately, Nancy's injuries were superficial, minor scrapes and a few bruises. Sue is a businessperson, not a housewife, as she has only a superficial understanding of cooking and home economics.

obsolete

adj. no longer in style; no longer useful or needed; outmoded Typewriters have been rendered obsolete by computers. Clothing styles become obsolete quickly, necessitating the purchase of a new wardrobe several times a year.

theoretical

adj. not based on experience; in theory only; unproven The once-theoretical concept of an expanding universe is now a known fact. Theoretically speaking, robots may someday be programmed to run governments.

peripheral

adj. not central or of main importance; not essential; external First, we have to catch the thief; getting the money back is a peripheral issue. Ues your peripheral vision to see if any cars are beside you before returning to the slow lane.

phlegmatic

adj. not easily excited to display emotion, apathetic, sluggish The nurse's phlegmatic attitude toward death helped her cope with it on a daily basis. The student's phlegmatic spirit was obvious as he sat slumped disinterestedly in his chair.

unequaled

adj. not equaled or surpassed Joe DiMaggio's fifty-six-game hitting streak is an unequaled record in professional baseball. Harriet grew roses of unequaled beauty and won first prize in the flower show.

unobtrusive

adj. not noticeable; inconspicuous; seeming to belong A good waiter is efficient and unobtrusive. Undercover police have to be unobtrusive so they don't "blow their cover."

unassailable

adj. not open to attack, doubt, or denial The king built an unassailable fortress with walls a hundred feet high. The defendant had an unassailable alibi, and nobody could prove it untrue.

rarefied

adj. not ordinary; interesting to a select group only The Malaysian restaurant down the street went out of business because it catered to a rarefied clientele. His last book was too rarefied to become a bestseller.

sedentary

adj. not prone to exercise; of or marked by much sitting about A sedentary lifestyle makes a person susceptible to heart problems. Sedentary jobs are those that require little activity.

obstreperous

adj. not submitting to discipline or control; boisterous; vociferous The obstreperous opponents made so much noise their team was charged with a misconduct foul. The striking mob was obstreperous, knocking down the barrier to the company.

obtrusive

adj. noticeable in a way that is unpleasant or unwanted; aggressive and self-assertive; having a tendency to butt in where not welcome; meddlesome The undercover police wore cut-off jeans and T-shirts to make their presence less obtrusive. The next door neighbor is so obtrusive that he is always coming over to snoop and gossip.

sporadic

adj. now and then; few and far between; stopping and starting The gunfire was sporadic, starting and stopping all through the night. The snowfall has been sporadic in New England ever since Christmas.

opportune

adj. occurring or coming at a good time Ed opportunely dropped by Janet's house just as dinner was being served. (adv.) Mrs. Childs, our teacher, said the weekend before our final exam was an opportune time for last-minute studying.

paltry

adj. of little value, trivial, inconsequential Irma, the waitress, was angry with the paltry tip of one dollar. Dutch worked his way up from a paltry mail clerk to president of the company.

nondescript

adj. of no recognized, definite type; ordinary Dawn's personality was nondescript; she never stood in a crowd. The famous actor wore nondescript clothing so that he wouldn't stand out in public.

municipal

adj. of or belonging to a town or city; of or relating to a local government or governmental unit Seattle's municipal sanitation department has sent out leaflets explaining the change in collection days and times. There is an underground parking lot for all of the municipal employees, including the police officers and judges.

symptomatic

adj. of or having to do with symptoms The doctor explained that her reaction was symptomatic of an allergy. We had to keep in mind that her behavior is symptomatic of how she feels about herself.

temporal

adj. of or related to time; concerned with worldly affairs; short-lived Temporal pleasures, such as movies and sports games, last only a short time. Considering the age of our planet, our time on Earth is temporal and insignificant in terms of eternity.

philanthropic

adj. of or showing love of mankind, especially through charitable gifts and deeds WIll Rogers was a famous philanthropic humorist who always said he never met a man he didn't like. The gentleman was too philanthropic, giving to anyone in need and keeping so little for his own family that his wife left him. (Ouch)

superlative

adj. of the highest quality; foremost; praiseworthy; superb No amount of literary superlatives can do justice to the superb novels written by Ernest Hemingway. (n.)

olfactory

adj. of, concerning, or stimulating the perception of smells; connected with the ability to smell Damage to the olfactory nerves can result in the loss of the ense of smell. Mother's dinner appealed to my olfactory senses, but it tasted like yesterday's wet sneakers.

scurrilous

adj. offensive to accepted standards; grossly abusive The council's scurrilous attack on the mayor caused his resignation. John Rover's scurrilous drunken behavior at his ex-wife's wedding caused him to be tossed out onto the street.

subliminal

adj. operating below the level of conscious perception Advertisers sometimes place subliminal messages on TV; they appear too rapidly to be seen by the naked eye but are believed to make impressions on the subconscious mind. Nicole subliminally attempted to make Dennis ask her out on a date. (adv.)

reactionary

adj. opposing political or social change; opposing liberalism; ultra-conservative The administrator's reactionary beliefs about women's equality kept Joan from getting the promotion, even though she was far more qualified than Thomas. Reactionary groups stand in the way of progress and change.

overwrought

adj. overexcited, agitated, riled, greatly disturbed, nervous Sam was overwrought about the increase in college tuition since his scholarship had not increased. The Western European people are overwrought about the extremely high price of gasoline.

prudish

adj. overly concerned with being modest or proper Catherine was so prudish that she brought two forks in her packed lunch, one for her salad and one for her meal. The prudish woman avoided the noisy cowboy as if he were the devil himself.

terrestrial

adj. pertaining to Earth or of human life on Earth Although they can swim, polar bears are terrestrial animals and prefer land travel. Lunar gravity is weaker than the terrestrial gravity of the Earth.

spasmodic

adj. pertaining to be nature of a spasm; intermittent; fleeting The pain in her hip was spasmodic, coming and going periodically. Guan's spasmodic training as a gymnast was not sufficient for her to become Olympic quality.

seasonal

adj. pertaining to or dependent on a specific season or the seasons of the year Construction work in the north is seasonal, so people go south for jobs in the winter. From July to November, hurricanes are a seasonal weather problem in Florida.

tutorial

adj. pertaining to or exercised by a tutor Compaq has new educational tutorial software called Presario University. Harold has a tutorial position teaching math to young boys.

semantic

adj. pertaining to the meaning of words The judge ruled both parties were really in agreement, but the problem was semantic confusion. Defeated or cheated, that's a semantic argument; either way, the bottom line is we lost the game, right?

tactile

adj. pertaining to the sense of touch The dentist's injection caused the temporary loss of tactile sensation in the patient's gum It is believed a blind person has a tactile ability more sensitive than the norm.

niggling

adj. petty, trivial, inconsequential, annoying The niggling details were handled by the secretary, while the boss handled the more important business. During long car rides, constant battles between children can be niggling.

pathetic

adj. pitifully unsuccessful; ineffective; expressing or arousing pity The score of 47-0 showed what a pathetic football game it had been for our team. The pathetic old man came to our window to ask for money while we were at the stoplight.

savory

adj. pleasing to the taste or smell A savory smell came from the kitchen, and John realized his mother was baking a cake. Josh ate the cake slowly and savored the flavor of nutmeg and cinnamon. (v.)

puissant

adj. potent, powerful, mighty General Patton and his men were a puissant force during World War II. A puissant antibiotic was needed to fight his double pneumonia.

prolific

adj. producing offspring, producing abundantly, yielding propagating Sonja's pet hamsters were so prolific she was constantly trying to give away babies. Hayden was a prolific composer who wrote one hundred and four symphonies.

sonorous

adj. producing sound, especially deep and rich, resonant John Barrymore's sonorous voice enraptured audiences across the land for decades. The sonority of the school choir singing Christmas carols was uplifting and delightfully spiritual. (n.)

recondite

adj. profound, hard to understand; over one's head Jennie submitted a recondite thesis, and the committee could not comprehend it. 'Modern Physics Journal' is a recondite magazine, absolutely incomprehensible to the average reader.

quizzical

adj. questioning; teasing, mocking; expressing puzzlement The teacher gave Johnny a quizzical look upon hearing his ridiculous excuse for being late. Kelly is a very quizzical child, always wanting to know why everything happens as it does.

salient

adj. readily attracting notice, noticeable, important At the meeting, Henry listed the salient points to be discussed. Jane's salient feature was her ears; they stuck out like the wings on a bat.

pugnacious

adj. ready or eager to fight; overly aggressive or quarrelsome Larry's pugnacious attitude kept getting him into fights. The pugnacious generals would not even attend the peace treaty talks.

officious

adj. ready to serve; eager in offering unwanted services or advice Uncle Dan was so officious that he wanted to help me work on my antique cars even though he knew nothing about engines. Employees are usually very officious when they first start a job.

profligate

adj. recklessly prodigal and extravagant Frank's profligate way of living is reducing his bank account. The profligate sports hero threw money around wastefully.

sensory

adj. related to sensations; neurological The buffet was a sensory delight; everything looked good, smelled good, and tasted good. Our eyes, ears, nose, and skin are all sensory organs; it is through them that we make contact with the world around us.

occult

adj. relating to mysterious or supernatural powers and activities; mysterious; known or available only to the initiated; secret; mystical Witchcraft and black magic deal with the occult. (n.) The group claims such occult powers as raising unknown spirits and casting spells on enemies.

nautical

adj. relating to sea navigation The captain and his crew handled the nautical trip through the Panama Canal. The admiral entertained us with his stories of nautical adventures.

pertinent

adj. relevant, of concern, to the point Manny's remarks on patriotism were pertinent to the July 4th celebration. The private eye had pertinent information that helped the police solve the case.

porcine

adj. reminiscent of or pertaining to a pig; resembling a pig After an around-the-world cruise, during which each meal was a grand feast, Bob and Helen returned home with porcine figures. She had a porcine attitude about food; she would eat anything and everything.

virtuous

adj. righteous; honorable; moral; ethical Jack said, "Everyone should seek to lead a virtuous life." Samson knew that Delilah was not a virtuous woman.

stilted

adj. rigidly constrained; awkward, as lacking in grace and spontaneity The pompous speaker made stilted remarks about the farm which irritated the farmer and his family. It was a stilted affair with little conversation and less friendship.

stringent

adj. rigorously binding or exacting; strict; severe Hurricanes require the use of stringent safety precautions to protect the public. Military colleges have stringent rules of conduct which students are required to follow.

spacious

adj. roomy; affording sizeable space; commodious Our yard is spacious enough for a swimming pool and deck. Frank liked spacious cars, so he bought a Lincoln.

vicarious

adj. secondhand; fantasized; emphatic It gave me a vicarious thrill to hear about their vacation in Rome. People who read fiction have vicarious adventures in their minds.

subterranean

adj. secret, hidden; lying beneath the earth's surface While we were scuba diving, we were delighted to explore some subterranean caves. Our house is infested with subterranean termites.

vindictive

adj. seeking revenge After being expelled from school, the vindictive boy spray-painted the hallways of the school. After being fired, the vindictive filing clerk spread vile rumors about the firm.

specious

adj. seeming to be right or true but really wrong or false; deceptive; misleading Jeff's argument is not specious; it's true that chickens do cross the road to get on the other side. Medical doctors always viewed acupuncture as specious until recent years when they no longer are so sure.

sententious

adj. self-righteous; given to arrogant moralizing; preachy President Clinton gave a sententious lecture on the importance of honesty in politics. (bruh) The salty old sailor gave a sententious speech about how to sail a boat.

omnidirectional

adj. sending or receiving signals in all directions Triangulation with omnidirectional instruments was used to locate the spy's radio. The outdoor concert used omnidirectional speakers so everyone could hear clearly.

preposterous

adj. senseless, absurd, ridiculous The preposterous suggestion was promptly ignored by the group. The preposterous weather in the area varies from snow to sunshine in one day.

prudent

adj. sensible, discerning, level-headed A prudent investor always diversifies his stock portfolio by purchasing many different stocks. It was a prudent decision to finish school before starting the new job with extended hours.

menial

adj. servile, low; fit for servants The nurse had to perform many menial tasks before she was able to prove her ability. Many college students are forced to do menial work in order to pay the bills.

resolute

adj. set in purpose, steadfast, earnest, determined, unwavering Dennis made a resolute decision to master a foreign language and kept at it until he finally did. Her resolute decision to diet resulted in a loss of 35 pounds.

staid

adj. settled or sedated; marked by dignity and seriousness Jerry's staid personality was evident in the dull, colorless clothing he wore. Marilyn asked for a divorce from her husband because she said he was too staid and never had any fun.

mordant

adj. sharply caustic, as wit; sarcastic Mary had a mordant tongue, causing ill will among her co-workers. His mordant attitude held up the commissioner's meeting.

pompous

adj. showing an exaggerated air of importance The pompous and opinionated talk show host quickly lost his following, and his show dropped in the ratings. Daniel always acts so pompous and uppity when he wins a game.

stolid

adj. showing little or no emotion; apathetic; impassive Stolid and unaffected, the police officer listened to her explanation. Not a ripple of emotion passed over the face of the stolid deserter when informed he would be shot at dawn.

recalcitrant

adj. showing strong objection, obstinate, unwilling, stubbornly defiant The recalcitrant student refused to bring his book to class. Carl's recalcitrant attitude about accepting monetary help from his parents explained his frugal lifestyle.

precocious

adj. showing unusually early mental development or achievement; unusually mature Lucy was a verbally precocious child who spoke almost like an adult. The very precocious young lady finished high school by the age of twelve.

wizened

adj. shriveled or dried up; withered Yoda in the Star Wars movies was a wizened old man. The ground was strewn with wizened oranges, but there were still ripe ones remaining on the tree.

proficient

adj. skillful; very good at something Wally was the most competent, proficient ice skater in our league, but he wasn't good enough to make the Olympic team. June was so proficient as executive secretary, she was promoted and became president of sales.

servile

adj. slavishly submissive or obsequious; fawning Dave's attention to Mary was servile; he was at her beck and call all hours of the day. Unlike dogs, cats are independent pets and are rarely servile to their owners.

somnolent

adj. sleepy; drowsy; tending to cause sleep Hector was not suited to work the night shift and constantly was in a semi-somnolent state. The movie was boring, and Jenny became somnolent in her seat.

svelte

adj. slim; slender The ballerina appeared as svelte as an angel as she floated effortlessly across the stage. The svelte waitress was able to move easily between the crowded tables.

shrewd

adj. sly; able to turn a situation to one's advantage Buying low and selling high is the mark of a shrewd businessman. The owner of the Jets made some shrewd player trades, getting two good defensive tackles for one quarterback he had been ready to cut from the team.

marginal

adj. small in amount or effect; barely above a minimum standard of quality; insignificant; in the margin The difference between the two bids was only marginal. The marginal notes that the previous student had written in the textbook were quite helpful to me.

serpentine

adj. snakelike in shape or movement; winding as a snake Really good mystery stories have serpentine plots that lead the reader first one way, then another, always keeping him guessing to the very end. Jack dashed through the line with serpentine moves, dodging defenders all the way down the field until he scored the winning touchdown.

nominal

adj. so-called; minimal; insignificant The decision to marry is not a nominal one to be taken lightly. Charlotte posted a sign about the nominal charge for lunch so that no one would forget his or her money.

tepid

adj. somewhat warm; not very strong; halfhearted A bath in tepid water helps to gradually bring down a child's fever. Sharon took on the house design project with tepid interest as she was about to leave on vacation.

penitent

adj. sorrowful and remorseful for past misdeeds Clark became penitent when he learned his careless driving put two people in the hospital. The pickpocket pretended penitence but continued to rob when he was released from jail. (n.)

parsimonious

adj. sparing, miserly, frugal, stingy The old couple was parsimonious, and they never needed financial help. The parsimonious millionaire never donated a cent of his money to charity.

veracious

adj. speaking the truth; honest The FBI's veracious witness presented a true picture of how the crime actually happened. It is unfair when veracious answers lead to an assumption of guilt.

trite

adj. stale; humdrum; banal; unoriginal; overused Nancy, the critic from the New York Post, panned the new play because of its trite plot. Doris's speech was energetic but trite; she said the same old thing the audience had heard many times before.

stationary

adj. standing still; not moving The market price for flat monitors has remained stationary all summer. The prosthesis stayed stationary in Sam's hip bone after surgery.

utilitarian

adj. stressing usefulness or utility above other features; serviceable Not all fertilizers have a utilitarian purpose in farming. Ian was utilitarian; when he cooked chicken, he saved the bones for chicken soup.

taut

adj. stretched tightly; tidy The sailor pulled the lines taut so he could sail against the wind. The commander was proud that he ran such a taut ship.

thunderstruck

adj. struck with amazement, terror The family was thunderstruck after hearing about Grandma's death. The thunderstruck crowd clapped in amazement when the magician made the elephant disappear.

subservient

adj. submissive Many high school boys are far too subservient to their girlfriends. The king chose only the most subservient to be among his retinue.

surrogate

adj. substitute; subordinate n. replacement; stand-in; relief Surrogates for actors in movies are called "stand-ins." A surrogate mother is a woman who agrees to bear a child for someone else.

self-made

adj. succeeding without help from others Bill Gates is a self-made billionaire. My aunt Grace is a self-made gourmet chef who never went to cooking school.

ominous

adj. suggesting something unpleasant will happen; indicating or threatening future evil or unpleasantness; of or serving as an omen Those black, ominous clouds mean a powerful, nasty storm is coming. The ominous silence in the room foreshadowed the unpleasant events to follow.

photogenic

adj. suitable, especially attractive for photography Some movie actors and actresses are not very attractive in person, but they have become successful because they are very photogenic on screen. Very photogenic, the Statue of Liberty is probably the most photographed public monument in the world.

mellifluous

adj. sweet-sounding, musical, harmonious, sweet flowing The ringing of the church's bells gave off a mellifluous sound. From across the lake, the mellifluous voices of the choir could be heard.

tumescent

adj. swollen; teeming; containing many ideas or emotions Manny was alarmed at his tumescent infected ankles and knew the swelling was from red ant bites. Zelda's tumescent concept of an adult theme park fell on deaf ears.

tantamount

adj. synonymous; parallel; equivalent Being invited to a charity ball is tantamount to being asked for a donation. General Cornwallis's retreat in South Carolina was tantamount to defeat.

provisional

adj. tentative, stopgap, transitional, conditional The provisional treaty was ratified by the U.S. Congress and later made permanent. The provisional plan is to appoint a new officer until elections can be held.

optimum

adj. the most advantageous; the best in condition, degree, or amount Fran said she had the optimum job, working at home on the word processor while watching soap operas. As the conditions were optimum, with no wind at the track, the U.S. Olympic team had hopes of breaking the world record in the 440-yard relay.

premeditated

adj. thought of or planned before being done; pre-arranged or plotted The police believe the killing was premeditated since they found evidence of the murderer's plans in his apartment. (v.) The premeditated murders by the serial killer were solved by the police detective.

prosperous

adj. thriving, opulent, affluent, wealthy, well-off In his fancy new car, Craig presented the appearance of a prosperous businessman. The auction got off to a prosperous start with a bid of one hundred thousand dollars.

minuscule

adj. tiny, extremely small The map of Romania was minuscule and almost blinding at times. The insides of an amoeba are minuscule and difficult to see with a microscope.

quasi

adj. to a degree but not completely; resembling but not being Her party was a quasi-disaster. Some companies manufacture quasi-designer clothes. They look like them, but they are cheaper!

thorny

adj. tough or painful to deal with; full of thorns Roses are thorny shrubs. Religion and politics are thorny topics and are best avoided at a casual gathering of friends.

subversive

adj. traitorous, treasonous, corrupting, overthrowing, undermining; insurgent The McCarthy hearings are a black spot on the U.S. Senate during which Senator McCarthy accused innocent people of being Communist subversives. (n.) Subversive activities against a government are attempts to bring about change in a treasonous way.

tremulous

adj. trembling; fearful; timid The child was tremulous when he learned that his father would hear about what he had done. The tremulous servants awaited the wrath of their master.

ornery

adj. ugly and unpleasant in disposition or temper; stubborn The ornery child picked fights with all his classmates. The hillbillies were ornery when revenue agents searched for illegal moonshine.

opaque

adj. unable to transmit light, impossible to understand An opaque curtain covered the entrance to the shower. The complicated explanation was so opaque that even the professor couldn't understand it.

neutral

adj. unbiased, not taking sides, objective Sweden was a neutral country during WWII. Referees in sporting events are supposed to be neutral, so no team has an advantage.

unkempt

adj. uncared for; neglected; disheveled; messy Today's unkempt look causes confusion in schools as to what is appropriate for the dress code. The county is now checking all unkempt lawns and leaving warning notices.

nebulous

adj. unclear and lacking form; vague; hazy, confused, or indistinct; cloudlike or indefinite in outline It was almost dark, and in the distance and fog, I could make out only the nebulous silhouette of the soldiers marching toward the house. My roommate seems to have a nebulous concept of "sharing responsibilities" since he does nothing in the house and has paid very little toward expenses for the month.

obscure

adj. unclear; confusing; unknown; hard to understand The point of John's speech was obscure because he talked in circles. Their ancient Greek-Hebrew language renders the Dead Sea Scrolls obscure to all but the most learned scholars.

untoward

adj. unfortunate; inappropriate; unbecoming Untoward remarks about his boss cost the worker his job in the steel mill. The untoward scars left on Monica's face after the accident were the demise of her modeling career.

prosaic

adj. unimaginative, dull, common, ordinary The housekeeper purchased prosaic items of cheese and wine instead of champagne and caviar. The history professor's prosaic lecture put about ten students to sleep.

trivial

adj. unimportant; insignificant; inconsequential Zeke let parking tickets and minor, trivial things upset him. The cost of a yacht is often a trivial amount compared to the operating expenses.

mediocre

adj. unimpressive, ordinary, average, passable Harvey's schoolwork is mediocre even though he tries twice as hard as other students. The new drug for arthritis is mediocre and less effective than aspirin.

unsavory

adj. unpleasant in taste or smell; distasteful The natives in Borneo eat sheep's eye and other unsavory delicacies. A group of unsavory characters hangs out at the local pool hall.

wayward

adj. unpredictable; disobedient; contrary Judge Morris sent the boy to a home for wayward youth. The captain complained that it is hard to sail in wayward winds.

unassuming

adj. unpretentious; modest; humble Despite his wealth and position, Jacob has an unassuming mouselike personality. Dan's unassuming smile made him a favorite with the ladies.

unmitigated

adj. unqualified; not softened or lessened July was a month of unmitigated hot weather. Walter showed unmitigated stress before taking the bar exam for the third time.

precarious

adj. unsafe, unsteady, unstable The car hung in a precarious position, dangling over the edge of a cliff. The precariousness of their situation did not fully strike the fishermen until their small boat arrived at the dock only moments before the storm struck. (n.)

problematic

adj. unsettled, doubtful or questionable Drawing conclusions about life on Mars is problematic due to inconclusive evidence. The lack of a babysitter on the night of the party caused a problematic situation for the young couple.

unlettered

adj. unsophisticated; ignorant; unschooled Although Gus is unlettered and a high school dropout, he is still the CEO of his tire company Jill is unlettered in auto-selling techniques, but she is a willing learner.

variable

adj. unstable; alterable; changing; shifting The variables in arm wrestling are size, strength, and skill. (n.) The forecaster predicted variable winds and rain.

tenuous

adj. unsupported; shaky; frail; flimsy The acrobat's grip on the bar was tenuous, and he soon fell to the ground. Jose's financial situation was tenuous, so the bank declined to make him a loan on his house.

tentative

adj. unsure; hesitant; depending on a condition Joey was hired on a tentative basis until the regular worker returned to work. The doctor's tentative examination of the patient was rushed and not as complete as it should have been.

slovenly

adj. untidy; careless in appearance, habits, or work Although Matt had a great deal to offer the group, his slovenly appearance tended to repel others. Many wealthy people are among the most slovenly ones I know.

singular

adj. unusual and easily noticed; remarkable; unique His singular performance on the violin surpassed anything he had done before. The interior decorator is noted for his singular style of mixing old and new, traditional and art deco.

relentless

adj. unyielding, severe, strict, harsh, uncompromising Unafraid to trample his former friends, Carl was relentless in his pursuit of fame and fortune. The general was relentless in his attempt to take the territory from the enemy.

perpendicular

adj. upright or vertical; being at right angles to the plane of the horizon The tall mast of the sailing ship was built perpendicular to the deck. Because the wall was not perpendicular, it gradually succumbed to gravity and fell over.

vertical

adj. upright; standing up; perpendicular to the ground The cliff rose in a vertical wall from the ocean. The coach measured the players' vertical jumping power for rebounding.

voluble

adj. using a continuous flow of words; fluent; glib; talkative The five-year-old girl was so voluble after the circus that we thought she would never go to sleep. A few voluble students usually do all the talking in our class.

verbatim

adj. using exactly the same words; word for word The coach called the team together and said from that moment on, every player had to obey his words verbatim. The witness told the judge he couldn't recite what the accused had said verbatim, but the essence of what he said was he thought the police were "on the take."

sundry

adj. various; several; miscellaneous A sundry store is usually like a five and dime: a store carrying a variety of miscellaneous items for the household and personal use. Last week there were sundry articles in the newspaper about the need for prison reforms.

monosyllabic

adj. very brief or blunt, having only one syllable The coach used monosyllabic signals during the game to send in plays. The teachers refused to use last names, calling everyone by monosyllabic grunts.

scant

adj. very little or not much; barely sufficient; meager Jim was well-known for his scantiness; he barely tithed in the church. (n.) (Scant = Scanty) The water supply is scant during the summer months because there is hardly any rain.

stentorian

adj. very loud In a most stentorian voice, the representative explained why his product was the most useful. Mr. Maxwell is known for his stentorian voice, which can be heard throughout the halls of the school.

predatory

adj. victimizing or destroying others for one's own gain; pillaging The tiger shark is a predatory fish. During the Middle Ages, many predatory bands of men roamed England, robbing and pillaging small villages.

unbridled

adj. violent; unbounded; unrestrained The children in that family are unbridled and do whatever they please. Andrea's unbridled passion for dancing was evident in every performance she gave.

peripatetic

adj. wandering, traveling continually, roving The wanderer is a peripatetic individual traveling the entire country. Ancient peripatetic groups crossing Romania were called gypsies.

martial

adj. warlike; having to do with combat Walter has a black belt in the martial arts, so don't mess with him. After the uprising, the government was in a state of martial law.

prevalent

adj. widespread, in general use or acceptance Blue jeans seem to be the prevalent attire among school children. Tiger Woods has become a prevalent name in golf.

venal

adj. willing to sell one's influence; open to bribery; mercenary; corrupt The county official was venal and accepted many bribes from land developers. The city had a venal administration that was quickly voted out of office.

malevolent

adj. wishing or showing evil or harm to others Although she may look sweet and innocent, that young lady is one of the most malevolent people I have ever met. The witches were put in the story to serve as a malevolent force.

totalitarian

adj. with an absolute ruler; not tolerating opposing opinions Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin were rulers of totalitarian states during the early 20th century. The totalitarian leader was finally overthrown in a violent coup.

wan

adj. with an unnatural or sickly pallor; lacking color After the dry summer, Jane's flower garden looked wan. After surgery Hillary looked wan and very tired.

vapid

adj. without liveliness or spirit; dull or tedious; insipid The teacher has difficulty holding her students' interest because of her dull, vapid lectures. Henry was a great salesman, always enthusiastic about his product and never vapid.

ruthless

adj. without mercy or compassion; pitiless or cruel Terrorists are ruthless, not caring how many people get hurt. In order to vacation abroad, we had to do some ruthless cost-cutting at home.

seamless

adj. without noticeable change from one part to the next; smooth; without a seam The school enjoyed a seamless transition from one computer system to another. Seamless tube socks are much more comfortable than those with seams.

valedictory

adj./n. bidding goodbye; farewell address Reilly was chosen to deliver the valedictory address for the graduation class. George Washington's valedictory to his troops is captured in a famous painting.

requisite

adj./n. compulsory, essential, mandatory; requirement The "help wanted" ad started that prior experience in computer auto repairs was a requisite skill. One requisite for admission to college is high SAT scores.

vignette

n. a brief, small decorative design or illustration; a brief written, musical, or film sketch that describes or characterizes an event Ronda purchased a book of vignettes about life in Alaska. Harry's marriage was barely a vignette; he was divorced within three months.

lure

n. a decoy, snare, an attraction, enticement, failure The truth of the matter is that cheese is not a good lure for mice. Junior was lured home from the playground by the promise of apple pie. (v.)

prosthesis

n. a device external or implanted, supplement for a missing part After Jeff's leg was amputated, he was fitted for a prosthesis. Doctors replaced the injured man's missing ear with a prosthesis.

plumb

n. a device used to measure the depth of something The fisherman used a plumb to find the depth of the river. The construction workers needed a plumb so they would know how high to build the dock.

trait

n. a feature that characterizes someone; an attribute; quality The fortune teller was able to describe some traits of the lost child. Confidence and resolution are two traits of a good leader.

reverence

n. a feeling of deep awe, respect and love The class chose the teacher for whom they had the most reverence to be their graduation speaker. Every religion has a document which the followers hold in reverence.

oasis

n. a fertile spot in a desert or barren place, an enjoyable place, haven, sanctum Las Vegas is an oasis of entertainment and fun in the Nevada desert. The library was an oasis of quiet; perfect for study.

oxymoron

n. a figure of speech in which two contradictory words are used together in a phrase; two words used together which have, or seem to have opposite meanings Unhappily married couples think the term "marital bliss" is an oxymoron. "Fresh-squeezed juice from concentrate" is an oxymoron some companies use to sell their juices.

reprimand

n. a formal admonishment or censure; official rebuke His boss gave him a severe reprimand for being late. Susan received a stern reprimand for coming home past curfew.

palisade

n. a fortification of timbers set in the ground; an extended cliff The king built a palisade of logs to fortify his castle. The stone palisade followed the course of the river, winding its way through the canyon.

rampart

n. a fortification, a bulwark or defense The Americans attacked the outer ramparts of the German fort in the mountains. The hill served as a rampart prtecting the town from floods.

wake

n. a gathering held to honor a dead person; waves left by a passing boat; after-effects The hurricane left thousands of house destroyed in its wake. Some people feel a wake is necessary in order for friends and family to gather and honor the dead person or celebrate his past life. The waterskier jumped the wake and did a flip.

zephyr

n. a gentle, mild breeze; a fine light quality A zephyr whispered through the palm trees in the summer night. The manufactured cloth was like a zephyr; it was tissue paper-thin.

obeisance

n. a gesture of the body, such as a bow, made to indicate respect or submission; obedience and respect; reverence The delegate attacked the newspapers for their uncritical obeisance to the rich and the powerful in order to serve their own purposes.

specter

n. a ghost or phantom After the kids yelled "trick or treat," a specter appeared in the door and scared them away. The specter of Christmas Past is terrifying to Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens's "A Christmas Carol."

oligarchy

n. a government or state in which a few people or a family rule; a small group of powerful people An oligarchy controls the region with very little representation by the common people. I am living under an oligarchy because, basically, my two children rule my life.

salutation

n. a greeting or welcome; words used at the beginning of a letter or speech Start your letter with the salutation "Dear Friends." Princess Di stood in the receiving line, graciously accepting salutations from all the guests in attendance.

triumvirate

n. a group of three persons, especially in a joint ruling capacity The judges were a triumvirate, and the attorney had to appeal before all three of them. There was a brief period in early Rome in which a triumvirate of rulers governed the Roman Empire.

sect

n. a group with a uniting theme; a small religious group John Boswell formed a sect he called "The Winter Bathing Association." (wut?) The Hindu religion is divided into many small sects that are similar yet different from each other.

pontiff

n. a high or chief priest; the Pope; the Bishop of Rome The white smoke indicated a new pontiff had been elected. The pontiff stood before the tribes announcing the decision of the gathered council.

sovereign

n. a king, queen; supreme ruler; monarch Prince William will be the next sovereign of England. Perhaps the sovereign in America is a huge computer in the middle of the Pentagon!

legion

n. a large number; multitude Amanda has a legion of admirers. Legions of students take the SAT every year.

operetta

n. a light, opera-like theater work 'H.M.S. Pinafore' is a famous operetta written by Gilbert and Sullivan. The drama club decided to perform an operetta instead of a full-length opera.

microcosm

n. a little world; could be in miniature A microcosm hung around the cat's neck in the movie "Men in Black." The planet Earth is just a microcosm in the giant Milky Way.

tumor

n. a local growth of abnormal tissue; protuberance The tumor on Sam's elbow was analyzed as a non-cancerous growth. Hitler was a malignant tumor on the history of mankind.

odyssey

n. a long trip or period involving many different and exciting activities and changes; an extended, wandering journey of adventure or quest The movie follows one man's odyssey to find the mother he was separated from at birth. My quick jog around the block turned into an afternoon odyssey when I kept running into friends who needed my help with one thing or another.

perquisite

n. a material favor or gift, usually money for service The winning coach's perquisites included a free car and a bonus from the alumni committee. The president's perquisites were membership in a country club and a vacation in Greece.

matron

n. a mature looking married woman or widow; mature woman in charge The matron met us at the door and escorted us to the dining room. The woman prisoner was met by the matron and taken to her cell.

vent

n. a means of escape or release; an outlet; a small hole George felt the need to vent his anger in class even if it resulted in a suspension. (v.) As the boys searched the coastline, they found a vent in which they could hide.

symposium

n. a meeting or conference for discussion of a topic The symposium on healthcare was scheduled at the university during the first week in March. A symposium of baseball coaches was held in January.

rote

n. a memorizing process using routine or repetition, often without comprehension Although Allison had not been in a church for years, she knew how to do everything correctly by rote. The teacher taught as if by rote; a computer would have had more personality.

paranoia

n. a mental illness of unreasonable anxiety, especially believing someone is out to get you or that you are an important person Julie's paranoia was so advanced she thought everyone who came to her door was an assassin who had come to kill her. Joshua was absolutely paranoid about walking under a ladder. (adj.)

scintilla

n. a minute amount, spark, trace Joan's husband did not show a scintilla of remorse after his mother-in-law moved out. The detectives could not find a scintilla of evidence at the crime scene.

potpourri

n. a mixture or medley Sometimes when my mother doesn't know what to make for dinner, she puts all the leftovers into the pot and calls it potpourri. In scouts, we collected the petals of all kinds of wildflowers and made a potpourri.

upheaval

n. a momentous or sweeping change or disturbance On December 7, 1941, the Japanese caused a global upheaval when they bombed Pearl Harbor and started a war with the United States. The stock market crash created an economic upheaval.

reprobate

n. a morally unprincipled person; a degenerate The reprobate calmly put his hand into the offering plate, helping himself to a handful of change. Mom thinks that Jimmy is a reprobate just because he drives a motorcycle.

memoir

n. a narrative of experience happening to the writer Many memoirs are written by ghost writers for publishing houses. Many novels are really the memoirs of the writer telling of his or her own life experiences.

propensity

n. a natural inclination or tendency; a predilection, preference Most children have a propensity for candy. Zack had a propensity for making money and became a millionaire.

stint

n. a period of time spent doing a particular job or activity v. to restrict or hold back He took up boxing during his ten-year stint in the army. That restaurant does not stint on portions; it is almost impossible to eat all they serve.

remission

n. a period of time when an illness is less severe; release from an obligation Her leukemia is in a remission, and doctors are optimistic that it will not recur. The judge granted Tim a remission of his jail sentence in exchange for community service.

phobia

n. a persistent, illogical fear Those who have a phobia about heights should avoid climbing towers. Claustrophobia is the phobia of a person who fears small, confined spaces.

pushover

n. a person easily influenced or exploited When the young boy begged for candy, his father, a pushover, quickly gave in. Betty was a pushover when it came to door-to-door salesman; she bought everything.

misanthrope

n. a person expecting the worst from people, hater of mankind Hitler was a misanthrope and treated people poorly to secure his own ends. The terrorist was a misanthrope, causing death to many he hated.

stickler

n. a person insisting on something; purist Horace was a stickler for details, and he drove the car salesman crazy. The track coach was a stickler for fitness and preparation.

philistine

n. a person lacking in or smugly indifferent to cultural, intellectual pursuits William was too much of a philistine to patronize the arts. That philistine lacked intellectual and cultural interests and sat around watching sports all day.

soloist

n. a person who performs alone Helen was the soloist for the musical performance at Carnegie Hall. The lead singer from Zulus became a soloist.

pyromaniac

n. a person with a compulsion to set things on fire The North Port brush fires were set by a pyromaniac. Many arsonists are deemed pyromaniacs because they set fires without monetary gain.

virtuoso

n. a person with special knowledge or skills in a field Itzhak Perlman is a world renowned virtuoso on the violin. Paul Getty was a virtuoso collector; his finds are now housed in the Getty museum.

rendezvous

n. a pre-arranged meeting at a certain time and place James scheduled a rendezvous with Jill at Hernando's Hideaway for 9:00 that night. The two spies rendezvoused at the crossroads after they successfully completed their missions. (v.)

query

n. a question or inquiry; a request for information Because I didn't understand, I offered a query to the speaker after his speech. Forms are one type of query about a person's financial status.

repartee

n. a quick, witty reply; witty and spirited conversation Dad keeps me in stitches with his never-ending repartee. The comedian's repartee kept the audience laughing throughout his entire performance.

motive

n. a reason or justification to do something, incentive, enticement Joe, what was Carl's motive for prevarication? The basketball player's motive for changing teams was a salary increase.

outgrowth

n. a result, a part growing out of something; a consequence; conclusion The police investigation is an outgrowth of numerous complaints. The tree had an outgrowth of fungus and mushrooms.

relapse

n. a return to a former state, regression, reversion The student's grades improved drastically but suffered a relapse when he became overconfident and quit studying. The patient appeared to be improving, but he suffered a relapse and went into a coma.

prerogative

n. a right, privilege, exercise, by virtue of rank The wealthy man thought society owed him such prerogatives as BMWs, estates, and plenty of money. Jamie's prerogative was to inherit her grandfather's position and become the president of the company.

jaunt

n. a short pleasure trip My parents are always taking jaunts in their new motorhome. Mary and Bryan always enjoy their annual jaunt to the mountains.

nomenclature

n. a specialized system or set of names and terms used in a particular science, art or other field of study or training; a system for naming things; terminology The most difficult part of becoming an X-ray technician is learning all the medical nomenclature. The nomenclature of nuclear physics is another language entirely.

stupor

n. a state in which a person is almost unconscious; a stunned condition The man who drove the car had been in a drunken stupor. The movie was so riveting we stared at the screen in a wide-eyed stupor.

nirvana

n. a state of blissful peace and harmony; a state of freedom from all suffering; a state of perfection In her speech the candidate promised a nirvana of better jobs, less crime, and more education. While soaking in the hot, scented water, the harried mother had a feeling of nirvana, as though she hadn't a care in the world.

turmoil

n. a state of great agitation, disturbance, or confusion She grew up in the turmoil of the 1960s, amid race riots, war protests, cultism, and drugs. Ever since John was transferred to Pittsburgh, his family life has been in turmoil.

miser

n. a stingy person; tightwad; hoarder Marilyn, the miser, would not contribute a penny to any charity. The old miser lived a simple life, but when he died we found out he had saved over a million dollars.

moratorium

n. a stopping of an activity for an agreed period of time; a temporary ban on, or suspension of, some activity; a period of delay A moratorium was declared on new construction until the sewer system could be extended to accommodate the growth. Dad was so upset after paying the bills that he declared a moratorium on spending and took away all of our credit cards.

quarantine

n. a strict isolation imposed to prevent spread of disease Before the age of antibiotics, sick people were placed in quarantine to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The young mother tried to keep her four-year-old in quarantine so he would not catch the measles.

remorse

n. a strong feeling of sadness or guilt for having done something wrong John refused to feel any remorse for doing what he considered the right thing to do. Feeling remorse for hurting loved ones is the first step to an apology.

wanderlust

n. a strong innate desire to rove The Rhodes' spirit of wanderlust has caused them to move eight times in six years. Herman's wanderlust aroused a question about his reliability.

revulsion

n. a strong, often sudden feeling of dislike or disgust; a feeling of loathing Most of us feel revulsion at the thought of the many gruesome murders committed by Charles Manson. I stepped back in revulsion when I saw the dead body on the road.

underpinning

n. a structural support or foundation; a support from below, as with girders or props The underpinning of the huge wall was made of steel beams. The underpinning of any lasting friendship is trust.

quay

n. a structure beside the water to which boats can be tied; wharf, pier, landing Many boats are tied up along the quay of the Ohio River. We like to fish from the quay.

sally

n. a sudden onslaught; an excursion or expedition; a clever rejoinder A sally of troops stormed the castle wall. John was fast on his feet and could make quick-witted sallies that amused his friends.

paroxysm

n. a sudden outburst or attack Although it was not a time for levity, a paroxysm of laughter filled the auditorium. The paroxysm of cramps in his hand left him unable to paint.

spate

n. a sudden outpouring We have had a spate of burglaries in town recently. A spate of department store sales occurs after every Christmas holiday season.

mentor

n. a teacher, tutor, counselor, especially in business, an experienced person Harry wrote his thesis on stem cell functions with his mentor's guidance. Rita spent years mentoring junior employees at the computer factory. (v.)

sojourn

n. a temporary stay or visit Huck Finn went on a sojourn through the South with his friend Jim. Our European sojourn is always the highlight of our summer.

predilection

n. a tendency to think favorably of something, partiality, a penchant Shirley's predilection for fatty foods only increased her cholesterol problems. Don's predilection for reading books led to his career as an author.

touchstone

n. a test or criterion for quality; gauge Her voice is marvelous and will be the touchstone for all future Sopranos. The Supreme Court of the United States makes touchstone decisions that are also known as benchmarks.

polygraph

n. a test to determine if a person is telling the truth Polygraphs are not always accepted in court since their validity is questionable. The defendant refused to submit to a polygraph, making the prosecutor doubt his innocence.

veneer

n. a thin layer of material; facade; outward appearance This is a plain pine table covered by a veneer of beautiful teak wood. Bubba had a veneer of sweetness on the outside, but on the inside, he was a bully.

panegyric

n. a tribute made orally or in writing A panegyric by the president was expressed to the returning veterans. A panegyric was delivered by phone to the winning Olympic athletes.

torque

n. a turning or twisting force Try as Walter might, he still couldn't apply enough torque to open the jar of strawberry jam. When one propeller blade broke, the torque tore the engine right out of its moung.

malaise

n. a vague feeling of bodily discomfort, as at the beginning of an illness Beth's malaise began when she awoke with a sore throat. A sudden malaise overcame Jonathan when the postman delivered a certified letter from the IRS.

philippic

n. a verbal denunciation characterized by harsh, insulting language; a tirade The coach, in seeking to rouse the team, shouted bitter philippics against the opposing team. Dad always directed philippics at me whenever I got a bad grade.

mogul

n. a very rich or powerful person; a magnate Howard Hughes was a famous mogul who was rarely seen in public. After forming Microsoft, Bill Gates became the most recognized computer mogul.

martinet

n. a very strict disciplinarian The English professor was a martinet; if the paper contained one grammatical error, he refused to accept it. Some people believe it is easier to be a martinet than it is to make decisions.

tussle

n. a vigorous struggle or contest; scuffle The players were so involved in the game that a tussle broke out before halftime. The mothers broke up the tussle, and each apologized for her child's behavior.

vulgarian

n. a vulgar person, especially one of wealth Tony was a vulgarian who used curse words to end every sentence. Money could not buy him membership because of his vulgarian mannerisms.

premonition

n. a warning or feeling that something will happen Theresa had a premonition that something would happen to her sister. Justin had such a strong premonition that he canceled his flight and stayed home with his family.

vigil

n. a watch kept during sleeping hours Most college students keep vigils when studying for final exams. The night watchman's vigil lasted till 6 AM.

savoir faire

n. ability to say and do the right thing at the right time When it rained on the garden party, Ben handled the situation with savoir faire, getting the guests inside and making a bad situation into an amusing one. Charlie's diplomacy in awkward social situations proved he has the savoir faire to be a diplomat.

tyranny

n. absolute power, especially exercised unjustly and cruelly The Russians revolted against the tyranny of the royal family and the Czar. Coach Waldrop's team considered him tyrannical because he was a strict disciplinarian. (adj.)

vituperation

n. abusive language Katie's vituperation was surprising in one so innocent-looking. Al's father's vituperation is known throughout the neighborhood.

serendipity

n. accidental good fortune; finding something good accidentally It was serendipity the way Phil first met Hilda; she slipped and fell on a banana peel, and he helped her up. Our arrival at the department store serendipitously coincided with the beginning of a sale. (adv.)

surveillance

n. act of carefully watching; especially when unknown to the person being watched The FBI had Smithy under constant surveillance for two months. The CIA secretly had the Russian Embassy in Mexico City under surveillance, filming everyone who entered or left.

trouper

n. actor, especially in a touring company; someone who toughs it out Mark is known to be a real trouper when the going is rough. George Burns, a trouper of stage and screen, performed until he was almost one hundred years old.

mien

n. air, bearing, character, demeanor She's preceded by her reputation as a lady of noble mien. Annie had a beautiful mien and was the ideal person to model.

merger

n. alliance, fusion, consolidation, unification The proposed AOL-Warner merger is on hold until further notice. Before a merger is approved today, the SEC must give its blessings.

reparation

n. amends, restitution, compensation Swiss banks made reparations by paying the Holocaust victims. He was ordered to pay reparations for the damage he caused to the school.

volition

n. an act of choosing; conscious choice The general had to decide if the private had deserted of his own volition in the face of the enemy. Peter felt he was joining a fraternity because of peer pressure rather than of his own volition.

quarry

n. an animal that is being hunted down, especially with dogs The dogs skated out their quarry until the hunters caught up to them. The quarry was surrounded, but instinct told it to keep fighting.

pantomime

n. an art of conveying emotions with gestures, without speech Mime performer Marcel Marceau was one of the first pantomime actors. Without containing one word, Red Skelton's pantomime produced many laughs from the audience.

vagary

n. an erratic, unpredictable action; idea; whim; wild notion Wilson is confused by the vagaries of his girlfriend; one day she loves him, the next day she doesn't. My daughter's wardrobe is a total vagary of her imagination; it contains a little of everything.

phantasmagoria

n. an illusion of perceiving something that does not exist Plain-looking Jenny had a phantasmagoria about being in the Miss America pageant. Mike's phantasmagoria had him scoring a touchdown in the big game.

roue

n. an immoral man, libertine, wanton, profligate The roue was prosecuted for his attempts to molest innocent children. A roue tried to scam the old lady out of her life's savings.

misnomer

n. an incorrect or inappropriate name A nickname like "Speedy" is a misnomer when given to one who is slow at what he does. We usually have dinner at a very small Italian restaurant called "The Spaghetti Factory," obviously a misnomer of major proportions.

medium

n. an instrument, means, or agency; a method or way of expressing or accomplishing something; a material used by an artist The work of art was done in mixed media and included wood shavings, pieces of metal, glue, and oil plant. (pl.) I think television is the best medium to advertise your product because your ad will reach millions of people.

talisman

n. an object with supposed magical powers She wore a small talisman around her neck to ward off evil spirits. It is strange that people think a rabbit's foot is a good talisman, since the rabbit is dead.

wiseacre

n. an obnoxious, self-assertive, and arrogant person Jim, the stockbroker, is a wiseacre who lost most of his clients' money in the market. The wiseacre who claimed to know all about pathology flunked the final exam.

vocation

n. an occupation, a job Sherry's vocation was working as a night bartender in the Elms. Henry could not determine what vocation he wished to pursue after graduation.

orifice

n. an opening or aperture, mouth The divers discovered an underwater orifice in the rocky ledge. It is polite to keep the orifice closed while chewing food.

nemesis

n. an opponent that cannot be beaten or overcome Cancer was the nemesis that finally killed the ailing man. Potato chips are Paul's nemesis; if he takes one bite he can't stop eating them.

predicament

n. an unpleasant or dangerous situation that is difficult to get out of or solve; a dilemma With no money and no job, he found himself in a real predicament. My dog got in a predicament yesterday: while chasing a rabbit, he got stuck in a storm drain.

mania

n. an unusually strong and continuing interest in an activity or subject; extreme desire or enthusiasm; a psychological disorder characterized by excitability He worried about his wife's sudden mania for exercise after she had led a sedentary life at home for many years. Belinda was in such a state of uncontrolled mania that she had to be hospitalized for psychiatric treatment.

ocher

n. any of a class of natural earths, ranging in color from pale yellow to reddish yellow The dandelions on the pottery were painted ocher. The child used a crayon marked "ocher" to color the sun.

sinecure

n. any office or position providing an income but requiring little or no work When a company gets too large, sometimes positions become sinecure and the laziest hope to secure them. Until Al Gore was elected, the county tended to look at the position of Vice President as a sinecure.

stalemate

n. any position or situation where no action can be taken Talks between union and management came to a stalemate, so both parties ceased negotiations. Construction on Ken and Jill's house reached a stalemate when the subcontractors went on strike.

morass

n. anything that hinders, traps or overwhelms; low-lying, soggy ground The jeep sank deep into the morass and could go no further. A morass of feelings overcame Harold when he learned his mother had cancer.

verisimilitude

n. authenticity; plausibility; appearance of the truth The verisimilitude of famous people in wax museums is enough to fool you in a dark room. The verisimilitude of the counterfeit three-dollar bill did not fool the sales clerk.

ordnance

n. cannon, artillery, military supplies The battleship's ordnance pounded the beachhead prior to the amphibious landing. The general asked the ordnance division to upgrade all military supplies going to the front.

mountebank

n. charlatan, one who claims to be who he is not Carson was the best mountebank known for years until arrested by the IRS. The old medicine men were mountebanks selling snake oil to unassuming patients.

phraseology

n. choice of words, the way words are used We studied the author's phraseology in order to better understand his poetry. Jerry's gift for phraseology resulted in a stirring speech and his subsequent election to the student council.

proletariat

n. class of wage earners, those who do manual labor The members of the British proletariat now in office in England are known as the Labor Party. Industrial proletariat wages are about $15 per hour in the big cities.

pall

n. cloth covering The pall was placed on the body before the coffin was closed. The priest placed the pall over the chalice until the next service.

whim

n. conceit; a sudden idea; a fanciful notion Elias is spoiled because his mother caters to his every whim. Edith bought the dress on a whim, and later returned it.

treacle

n. contrived or unrestrained sentiment Linda's treacle is obvious when speaking about her biological parents. Louisa May Alcott was a celebrated author despite the treacle which fills her plots.

polemic

n. controversial argument against a controversial issue The editorial page contained a convincing polemic against the adoption of the new building code. The preacher delivered a polemic about the sins of abortion.

nonchalance

n. cool confidence and unconcern; casual indifference The actress's nonchalance while she waited to audition gave her a cool, calm appearance. Doug pretended nonchalance during the argument, but underneath he was seething.

patent

n. copyright adj. obvious; apparent Edison held the patent on the early phonograph. The answers on the test were so patent that Sam felt angry he wasted three hours studying for it.

propriety

n. correctness, decorum, dignity, good manners Young man, always conduct yourself with propriety in front of your grandmother and her friends. When being presented to royalty, propriety demands a curtsy or a bow.

pact

n. covenant, compact, formal written agreement; promise The Yalta meeting formed a pact between the Allies in 1943. The graduates made a pact to meet every year beginning in five years.

panache

n. dashing elegance of manner or style Eric entered the room with panache, wearing his new tux, Rolex watch, and $500 shoes. It was evident by the woman's panache that she was a member of the royal family.

respite

n. delay; postponement; a brief interval of rest The condemned man was given a respite to enjoy his favorite meal before his execution. The class had worked so hard throughout the semester that the teacher gave them a respite before their exam.

penury

n. destitution; indigence; insufficiency Homeless people endure penury for many reasons. The stock market crash of 1929 found many investors in penury.

plebiscite

n. direct vote regarding important questions A plebiscite was called for the new amendment to the federal constitution. The community called for a plebiscite of the citizens before declaring it a city.

rabble

n. disorderly crowd or mob, lower-class The rabble hung out at the junkyard. The police were accused by the rabble of violating their First Amendment rights.

temperament

n. disposition or character Young Laura has an easygoing temperament that makes her a delight to be around. John Barrymore was a famous actor with a true artist's temperament.

repercussion

n. effect or result of some event or action, often negative Sam did not realize the repercussions of writing nasty letters until he received the threats. Laura realized the repercussion of eating too much of her Halloween candy; she got a bellyache.

nostrum

n. elixir, potion, remedy, patent medicine, panacea The native witch doctor prescribed an old nostrum to clear up the rash. Old wives' tales contain such nostrums as "Starve a fever, feed a cold."

optimism

n. encouragement, happy expectancy, hope, a positive outlook Nothing can daunt Ralph's cheery optimism that influences everyone around him. Optimism about the new product caused the company's stock to rise.

verve

n. enthusiasm or vigor, as in artistic works; spirit The pianist played the concerto with verve and enthralled the audience. Marcia Zeus's latest novel lacks verve and reads like her other plots.

proponent

n. enthusiast, supporter, advocate The coach was a proponent of the old famous double-wing backfield, so his team used it repeatedly. The proponents of the candidate gathered to support her.

milieu

n. environment or surroundings After a long sea journey, a sailor on land for the firs few days feels out of his milieu. The New York Stock Exchange is a milieu of frenzied activity during trading hours.

paraphernalia

n. equipment, apparatus or furnishing needed for a task Paraphernalia carried by some travelers makes their luggage weigh a ton. Sports paraphernalia is sold at nearly all sporting events.

vernacular

n. everyday language; natural speech; slang The candidate used a great deal of slang expressions and spoke in the vernacular of the steel workers. Vernacular is street language; proper English should be used in the classroom.

verification

n. evidence that establishes or confirms the accuracy of something The newspaper refused to print the story until it had verification of the facts. The U.S. Government says they have never had verification of the existence of aliens and UFOs.

rapture

n. extreme pleasure and happiness; bliss; ecstasy A banana split is a rapture for a dieter. The young newlyweds were in a state of constant rapture.

phenomenon

n. extremely unusual or extraordinary thing or occurrence One phenomenon in "The Scarlet Letter" is the giant "A" that appears in the sky. At the circus we saw a two-headed turtle; a true phenomenon.

perjury

n. false testimony under oath Charlie's story was obviously perjury, false and in conflict with the evidence. Telling the truth prevents perjury in a courtroom.

rift

n. fracture, a narrow crack, a split, a break in friendship The blast from the homemade bomb created a rift in the rock face. There should be no rifts between good friends.

largess

n. generosity The church was successful largely because of the largess of its older members. The Johnsons' largess was evident in their large donation to the school library.

prodigy

n. gifted child, great talent, expert, wonder, phenomenon Mozart was a prodigy who could read, play, and improvise music at age five. Max was a child prodigy who finished high school by eleven years of age.

magnitude

n. great extent, amount or dimension, enormity The magnitude of the Empire State Building impresses tourists from all over the world. The magnitude of the census has great impact on the future expenditures.

woe

n. great suffering or sorrow; distress She poured out her tale of woe as she cried on his shoulder. Homeless people live a life of woe with no home, no money, no place to sleep.

nimbus

n. halo, a cloud, aura, atmosphere surrounding a person The nimbus over the angel's head on the top of the tree glowed in the dark. The rock star was surrounded by a nimbus of fame.

toil

n. hard and tiring work; labor; exhausting effort The farmer rested from the backbreaking toil of putting in fences. Tired of the endless toil of washing dishes, Joan quit her job as a housewife.

rapport

n. harmonious mutual understanding, fellowship, camaraderie The new people developed a rapport with the other neighbors in the area. The teacher's close rapport with her students was obvious as they listened spellbound to her stories.

solace

n. help and comfort when one is feeling sad or worried; consolation; cheer When Karen's grandmother died, she found solace in her memories of their time together. When Mark is troubled, he finds solace in a good book and hot bath.

succor

n. help, relief, aid; assistance The volunteers gave succor to the wounded victims of the hurricane. The local vicar was always quick to succor those who were suffering from one problem or another.

spiel

n. high-flown speech or talk; especially for the purpose of persuasion The car salesman's spiel was that the car had been owned by a little old lady who only drove it to town. Television advertising is the mother of all spiels for every product imaginable.

parody

n. humorous or satirical imitation of serious writing The students laughed as they read the parody of a typical holiday scene. "Spaceballs" is a parody of "Star Wars."

narcissism

n. inordinate fascination with oneself Total concern for yourself; or narcissism, will jeopardize interpersonal relationships. Steve's narcissistic attitude creates difficulty at his place of employment since all decisions revolve around his wishes. (adj.)

realm

n. kingdom; region; area After Charlie won the competition, he felt he was lord of his realm. Carrie knew that her realm was the classroom, so she became a college professor.

privation

n. lack of the basic necessities or comforts of life; destitution; poverty My state of privation is only temporary until I find a job and a place to live. Nuns give away their worldly possessions to live a life of privation.

ratiocination

n. logical reasoning Ratiocination got him through his science exam, as he figured out most questions. Most folks lose all ratiocination when they fall in love.

tirade

n. long angry speech; reprimand The shopkeeper delivered a tirade against shoplifters. The political candidate let loose a tirade against his opponent at the debate.

playa

n. lowest point of any desert-like territory, an area that is flat, salty, and retaining water The playa of the southwestern desert is six miles below sea level. He found water in the playa but discovered it was salty and undrinkable.

modus operandi

n. manner in which something is done The corporation's modus operandi produced profits and proved to be top notch. The Yankees base their modus operandi on the team's magnitude and abundance of money.

modus vivendi

n. manner of living, way of life; lifestyle Wealthy people enjoy their modus vivendi without care of expense. Elvis's modus vivendi included the acquisition of many expensive cars.

welter

n. mass; a commotion or turmoil The huge waves in the Atlantic weltered throughout the night. (v.) In New York, it is difficult to hear above the welter of the street noises.

munitions

n. material used in war, ammunition Munition sales constitute large illegal profits for many arms dealers. The army's quartermaster handles all munitions purchases and inventory.

subsistence

n. means needed to support life; a livelihood The oxygen we breathe is a necessary subsistence for every human being. Unemployment compensation is not intended to provide the subsistence for luxurious living.

sustenance

n. means of sustaining life; nourishment; livelihood The shipwreck survivors had enough sustenance to last for one week. The army survival team learned in the forests there is sustenance in wild berries and edible plants.

phonics

n. method of teaching based on the sound of each word The school uses the phonic method to teach reading. (adj.) The child had problems spelling after learning to read by phonics.

paragon

n. model or pattern of excellence Although Joyce was a paragon of virtue, she was also good fun to be with. William named his shoe company "Paragon Shoes", with expectations that customers would think his shoes are the best.

temperance

n. moderation or self-restraint; self-control A person who totally abstains from alcohol is someone who practices temperance. Use temperance when giving advice since your opinion could be taken in the wrong way.

probity

n. morality, integrity, uprightness, honesty Bankers must display probity since they work with large sums of money and could be tempted to help themselves. The jurors doubted the probity of the witness since he was related to the suspect.

rogue

n. mountebank, scoundrel, dishonest person Florida is rounding up all rogues practicing medicine illegally. Beware of rogue investment companies promising high yields of interest on your money. (adj.)

myopia

n. nearsightedness, narrow-mindedness, intolerance, lack of foresight Dr. Cline ordered a prescription to correct Carl's condition of myopia. Jason's myopia about foreign lotteries proved correct; they are mainly illegal.

tumult

n. noise and excitement; uproar; violent uprising The garden sits amid the tumult of downtown Manhattan. The doctor performed surgery undeterred by the tumult surrounding the accident.

uproar

n. noisy excitement or confusion; agitation; ado, commotion The prime minister's resignation caused an uproar and an early election. The new schedule for school buses caused an uproar among parents.

oblivion

n. nothingness, total forgetfulness James Dalton, once a well-known writer, is now relegated to oblivion. Usually quite thoughtful, Beth was in a state of oblivion at the mall and forgot to purchase a gift for the bride.

progeny

n. offspring or descendant; a product of creative effort The young mothers chased their progeny outdoors so they could enjoy a cup of coffee and a moment's peace. The musician's young progeny will be a star one day.

unguent

n. ointment; salve, usually applied to wounds or sores Dr. Carroll ordered silver oxide unguent for the burn. Early Americans made their own unguent of herbs and other plants.

plebeian

n. one of the common people Tyler's being a plebeian, was not born into a wealthy family. The princess blew kisses to the crowd of plebeians.

quid pro quo

n. one thing in return for another The theory of "quid pro quo" is used by advertisers when they offer a free gift for buying a product. The kidnapper wanted quid pro quo; he would surrender the kidnapped child for one million dollars with no strings attached.

turncoat

n. one who changes to the opposite party or fraction; traitor; one who reverses his or her principles Buchanan is a Republican turncoat who is now a Democrat. No one could believe that Harris would be such a turncoat as to play on the rival school's team.

malcontent

n. one who is dissatisfied with existing conditions The labor strikers were malcontents who did not even work at the company. We seem to always have one malcontent who can negatively impact team spirit.

pacifist

n. one who is in opposition to war or violence The pacifists protested the boxing match by lying on the mat and refusing to move. Because of Brad's pacifistic personality, he refused to fight. (adj.)

scapegoat

n. one who is made an object of blame for others Mary said she was not one of the sorority sisters who stayed out late, and she wouldn't be the scapegoat for those who did. Henry was always the scapegoat, taking the blame for whatever happened, whether he was to blame or not.

novice

n. one who is starting to learn a profession, trade or sport Although our new employee is a novice in terms of sales, he has helped boost profits in our store this week. Tom could be considered a novice in the trades, yet his craftsmanship is superior.

raconteur

n. one who is talented in storytelling He knew many jokes and was a witty and entertaining raconteur. Jeff was an excellent raconteur who held his audience spellbound for hours.

opportunist

n. one who takes advantage of every opportunity without regard for moral values Thoughtless opportunists sold T-shirts and bumper stickers mocking the tragic event. Our quarterback was an opportunist who took advantage of the other team's mistakes.

passe

n. out of date, no longer chic Many photographs of passe fashions from the 1940s exist. Self-repair of autos has become a passe with the advent of computerization of cars.

synopsis

n. outline; summary; brief Gerald's three-page synopsis of the six-hundred-page novel outlined the plot of the story quite well. Tell me a synopsis of the movie, so I'll know if I've seen it.

restaurateur

n. owner or manager of a restaurant The restaurateur from Chicago opened a new restaurant in Florida. Dave, the restaurateur, named the fast-food chain after his daughter.

placard

n. paperboard sign or notice posted in a public place The placard announced a town meeting at which we could vote on the candidates. Kelly won $50 in a placard contest to announce the town's centennial celebration.

remuneration

n. pay for work or services The level of that physician's remuneration is outrageous, almost double that of his peers. Sometimes the gratitude one gets for helping others is all the remuneration that is needed.

quisling

n. person betraying one's own country, helping an invading enemy Hitler declared some Germans as quislings and imprisoned them as spies. Benedict Arnold, an American siding with England, was a quisling during the Revolutionary War.

megalomania

n. personality trait characterized by delusions of grandeur, power, and wealth Hitler's megalomania was apparent in most of his speeches. When Bill told me he wanted to be king of the world, I knew it was his megalomania talking.

vitality

n. power; vim; liveliness; energy Good nutrition will increase your vim, vigor, and vitality. Jerome felt new vitality when he saw the finish line was in sight.

magnate

n. powerful businessperson Our neighbor made a fortune as a pest control magnate. It seems that the magnates have taken control of professional baseball.

supposition

n. presumption; an assumption; theory; opinion Herman acted on the supposition that his wife wouldn't object to his owning a motorcycle. The supposition of the 15th century that the earth was flat was proven false.

propinquity

n. proximity, nearness; kinship Because of the propinquity of our neighbor's yard, we sometimes hear things we shouldn't. The propinquity of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo was remarkable; the two great artists lived within the same time, at the same place.

manifesto

n. public declaration of beliefs Zach wrote his manifesto before he announced that he would run for class president. The Communist Manifesto was Karl Marx's statement about government.

orator

n. public speaker, especially one of great eloquence The contestants practiced their speeches for weeks prior to the oratorical contest. (adj.) Abraham Lincoln's ability and quality as an orator are evident even today in "The Gettysburg Address."

termagant

n. quarrelsome, loud, scolding woman That his wife was a termagant by nature was apparent in his downtrodden appearance. Any man who marries a termagant deserves what he gets.

riposte

n. quick sharp return in speech or action, counterstroke His explosive riposte caught the other boxer's jaw and won the match. Her brilliant riposte to the insult brought laughter, and the outraged speaker was deflated.

marauder

n. raider, intruder Among the legendary pirate marauders of the 18th century were Captain Kidd, Calico Jack Rackham, Charles Vane, Blackbeard, and Sir Henry Morgan. A band of marauders looted the town.

tempo

n. rate of motion or performance The marine band played a number of Sousa Marches with a fast tempo. The tempo of urban life is faster than the slower-paced farm life.

paucity

n. scarcity; shortage; poverty; deficiency Due to lack of information, the newspaper provided a paucity of articles about the invasion. The senior citizen tax rebate was defeated by a paucity of support from retirees.

machination

n. scheming activity for an evil purpose The overthrown dictator never really understood the machinations that led to the coup. In the big city, every gang performs its own ruthless machinations.

theology

n. science of divine things, doctrine After majoring in theology, he taught Eastern religions in college. Shaw was an agnostic but read many book on theology.

umbrage

n. sense of injury or insult; offense; displeasure Polly took umbrage when her husband told her she was wearing too much makeup and looked older by trying to look younger. America took umbrage when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.

trauma

n. severe physical or emotional shock; a terrible experience; violent wound She never recovered from the trauma of her mother's death. The Battle of the Bulge in World War II traumatized many soldiers trapped in the Black Forest. (v.)

torpor

n. sluggishness, inactivity, apathy Her physical torpor was caused by a condition the doctors have yet to diagnose. After the buzzards feasted on the carrion, they fell into a torpor and slept on a nearby tree limb.

pittance

n. small amount or share; scanty income or remuneration The company paid only a pittance of the actual cost of the survey. Charlie's allowance in 1950 was a pittance compared to today's standards.

vial

n. small container for holding liquids, medicines, and dry material Grandma Rose always carried a vial of smelling salts in her purse. Theresa poured out vials of venom and wrath on her detractors.

marrow

n. soft, fatty vascular tissue in the bones Bone marrow is an organ for blood cell production in humans. Dr. Smith wanted to test her bone marrow, taking a small sample from the hip.

neophyte

n. someone who has recently become involved in an activity and is still learning about it; a beginner or novice at any activity This computer course is for neophytes, so I should have no trouble understanding the material. Neophytes in medicine are also referred to as interns.

zealot

n. someone who is overly enthusiastic about a topic or cause My sister is a feminist zealot, always preaching women's rights. My friend is such a zealot about her beliefs that she cannot see another person's point of view.

purist

n. someone who strictly observes traditions or conventions The family members are purists who celebrate every holiday exactly as they did in the "old country." Al's puristic religious beliefs alienated him from his old friends. (adj.)

protégé

n. someone whose welfare, training or career is promoted by an influential person; a person under the care or guidance of another interested in his welfare The high-powered attorney adopted the law student as his protégé. Some famous actors began as the protégé of older, more experienced actors.

martyr

n. someone willing to sacrifice and even give his/her life for a cause; also, one who pretends suffering to gain sympathy She was a professional martyr; suffering for her children, or so she would tell them ten times a day. Joan of Arc was undoubtedly the most famous martyr in modern history, burned at the stake because she refused to go against her beliefs.

scale

n. something calibrated; a device used to measure; series v. to climb up Any measuring instrument with graduated markings is called a scale. The fireman scaled the ladder and was on the roof of the burning building in a matter of seconds.

revelation

n. something revealed, insight, exposure, prophecy The star's autobiography contains many shocking revelations. The gypsy's revelations came true when the young prince was found hidden in an abandoned cave.

provocation

n. something that causes anger or irritation; incitement or cause The speaker's provocation caused the crowd to riot. The attack on Pearl Harbor was the provocation that caused the United States to declare war on Japan.

nonentity

n. something that exists only in the imagination The boyfriend whom she speaks so highly about is really a nonentity; that's why no one has ever met him. Unfortunately for the family, the family fortune was a nonentity.

relic

n. something that has survived from an earlier time; something kept sacred because it was associated with a saint The old ship was a relic of the Spanish-American War. The stone tablets are supposedly relics of biblical times.

opacity

n. state of quality of being opaque, degree of light transmission to nonpenetration The dense opacity of the car windows violated the law and produced accidents. His glasses had been changed to decrease the opacity for use as sunglasses.

platitude

n. stereotyped expression, commonplace, a cliche, a dull or trite remark The professor spouted platitudes of encouragement at the freshman class during the orientation speech. The valedictorian's speech was full of platitudes and overgeneralizations about life.

severity

n. sternness; intensity; austerity The severity of the winter snowstorms made the roads impassable. The attorney protested to the judge that the severity of the punishment exceeded that of the crime.

rigidity

n. stiffness, unwillingness to change, lack of pliancy The coach's rigidity resulted in the team's trying the same play over and over. The ice-cold air behind him caused rigidity in the hockey player's back muscles.

mendicant

n. street beggar, alms seeker You just about trip over mendicants on the streets of Istanbul. Some mendicants are people who cannot face everyday normal life.

turbulence

n. strong, uneven currents in air or water; confusion; violence; unrest The plane ran into extreme turbulence over the Atlantic. His songs reflect the turbulence of his childhood.

vogue

n. style; fashion; general popularity or acceptance I remember when rock and roll first came into vogue back in the 1960s. Never throw away out-of-style clothing; it may in time come back into vogue.

nuance

n. subtle change, variation, finesse The poem admirably expresses different nuances of emotions and love. Ginny's best artistic works portray the nuances between light and shadow.

squall

n. sudden disturbance; violent gust of wind followed by rain, snow, or sleet v. to make a sudden, loud noise The squall swept over the fishing fleet, drenching the sailors with driving rain. The baby squalled, so her mother knew she was wet and wanted her bottle.

preceptor

n. teacher, principal of a school, instructor In college extra preceptors are available to help with the difficult courses. Preceptors are ordering books to use for the new class.

prohibition

n. the act of prohibiting; a law that forbids The most famous prohibition in this country was the ban on alcohol. The dress code makes clear the prohibition of body piercings.

precedence

n. the act, condition or right of preceding, priority of way Her family takes precedence over her career, so she resigned when her son became seriously ill. Since he has been away at college, her older brother's wishes have precedence, so he gets to choose the first vacation stop.

rhetoric

n. the art of study of using language effectively and persuasively; over-elaborate language The study of rhetoric is a necessary part of any literature class. William Cullen Bryant was a master of rhetoric and one of our country's most famous editors.

synthesis

n. the combining of elements to form a unified entity Synthesis of ideas was the idea behind the symposium for environmental sciences. Nylon is a synthetic material created by a synthesis of chemicals mixed together.

tedium

n. the condition of being dull or wearisome; monotony; boredom The tedium of a dull lecture puts me to sleep. The tedium of watching summer soap opera reruns is boring.

larceny

n. the crime of taking something that does not belong to you; theft The pickpocket was charged with larceny. Billy committed larceny when he stole the pumpkins from Mr. Green's garden.

trajectory

n. the curve described by a projectile in flight The trajectory of the rocket was off-course, and it missed the target. The trajectory of a bullet depends upon the speed, weight, and angle at which it is fired.

reign

n. the exercise or possession of supreme power Many believe the king's reign was a time of great progress. Queen Elizabeth has reigned over England since the 1950s.

syntax

n. the grammatical arrangement of words in a sentence Pay attention to the syntax of each sentence when writing an essay. Students have the opportunity to learn proper syntax in English class.

psyche

n. the human soul; the mind The study of poetry often helps students to examine their own psyches. A true appreciation for classical literature encompasses one's entire psyche.

preponderance

n. the largest part or greatest amount; majority; superiority in weight, quantity, size, etc. The preponderance of evidence made the police declare the crash an accident. The preponderance of women in the teaching field is apparent at any elementary school.

patriarch

n. the leader of a family or tribe As the patriarch of the family, Grandfather made all the big decisions. The tribe turns to the patriarch for leadership and guidance.

protagonist

n. the leading character in a novel, play, or other work; hero The protagonist in the story was able to save the injured captain. The protagonists of the war effort were honored at the end of the fighting.

solstice

n. the longest and shortest days in any year; the sun's greatest distance from the equator The solstice occurs twice a year on the longest and the shortest day. The solstice occurs in Jun and December, marking the beginning of summer and winter.

trunk

n. the main body of something; torso; column; chest George is a heavyweight lifter and has a massive trunk. Amelia shipped the trunk by FedEx so it would arrive by the weekend.

principal

n. the main performer in any production, first or highest in rank The two principal characters fought over top billing and salaries. (adj.) The principal of the school decided which teacher to hire.

oncology

n. the medicinal study of tumors and cancer Physicians practicing oncology found that doses of chemotherapy will often shrink a cancerous tumor. The tissue was sent to the oncology department to check for cancerous cells.

midriff

n. the middle area of the torso, the diaphragm, in the human body On her midriff, she wore a tattoo that everyone could see. The belly dancers' costume bares their midriff, which is culturally acceptable.

periphery

n. the outermost part within a boundary, the outside edge Colonel Mason posted guards at the periphery of the camp for night security. The outlaw lurked on the outermost periphery of the ranch, waiting until nightfall to approach the house.

zenith

n. the peak; the highest point The sun reached its zenith at about noon. Nick Faldo claimed that winning The Masters Tournament was the zenith of his golfing career.

symbolism

n. the practice of representing things by symbols The ancient Egyptians practiced symbolism to the extreme; many animals represented various gods in their religion. Writers like Nathaniel Hawthorne include symbolism in all their works.

osmosis

n. the process by which something passes gradually from one part to another through a membrane; a gradual, subtle, and usually unconscious absorption, as of ideals or mannerisms I am hoping that my son learns to spell by osmosis since his teacher's conscious efforts to teach it don't seem to be working. In a liquid, the higher concentration will pass through to the lower concentration by osmosis, until there is an equal concentration on each side of a membrane.

transition

n. the process of passing from one form or stage or another The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a given for every human being. The transition from defeat to victory is the goal of every athlete.

unanimity

n. the quality of being in complete, mutual agreement The unanimity of the convention delegates was obvious on the first ballot. Jennie's parents were in complete unanimity in their decision not to allow her to date at the age of thirteen.

rationale

n. the reasons or intentions for something; basis I don't understand your rationale for choosing Paris as a vacation site. Being on call for the hospital was my rationale for owning a beeper.

suffrage

n. the right to vote In our history class, Kathryn learned about the women's suffrage movement, which gave women the right to vote. Suffrage in the United States is given to all adult citizens who have never been convicted of a felony.

protocol

n. the rules of etiquette and ceremony observed by heads of state, diplomats; an original or preliminary draft or copy of an agreement The President of the United States must be aware of the protocol of many foreign delegates. Mr. Jones has written the protocol for the new contract to be in effect next year.

pathology

n. the science or study of the origin, cause, and nature of diseases Jay took classes in pathology and histology, required courses for a biology major. Body tissue was sent to the pathology department to determine the cause of death.

vertigo

n. the sensation of dizziness The Air Force pilot was tested for vertigo before he was permitted to fly. I was overcome with vertigo after riding the ferris wheel at the fair.

zeitgeist

n. the spirit of the age; a trend of a particular period The zeitgeist of the '60s was one of freedom, love, and peace. Christmas season zeitgeist is represented by Christmas trees, mistletoe, and carolers.

satiety

n. the state of being overly satisfied When the king reached satiety, he dismissed all of his servants and the food that they bore. Thanksgiving is the day of satiety.

sobriety

n. the state of being sober; seriousness Jame's sobriety frightened some; he was always so serious. Drivers of cars that weave on the highway are subject to sobriety tests by the highway patrol.

repertoire

n. the stock of special skills a person is able to perform The band liked Sergio's song so much that they added it to their repertoire. A good teacher has many tricks in her repertoire to make learning fun.

metaphysics

n. the study of what exists, the study of ultimate reality The metaphysical answer to dimensions is in 24 areas, not just 3. Stan devoted his life to metaphysics.

tundra

n. the vast treeless plains of the arctic regions In the frozen tundra of Alaska, frozen animals of centuries past have been discovered well-preserved. The climate is severe in the tundra of the North Pole.

malapropism

n. the wrong use of one word instead of another because they sound similar to each other, and which is amusing as a result; the humorous or ridiculous misuse of a word In the sentence "The price of food in Japan is gastronomical," the word "gastronomical," which refers to the stomach, is a malapropism because it should be "astronomical," which relates to high cost. We laughed at our five-year-old son's malapropism when he said there was entirely too much "violins" on TV instead of "violence," which is what he meant.

whelp

n. the young of an animal; a youth, especially one who is impudent or disliked The female gorilla trampled through the jungle, her three whelps following her. Ziggy, who was given everything in life and who appreciates nothing, is the ungrateful whelp of Lord Boone.

viscosity

n. thickness, stickiness Molasses has a high viscosity. The viscosity of oil determines the way it will flow through an engine.

mollycoddle

n. to pamper, to spoil someone with kind treatment, overindulge The way they mollycoddle Ian, he'll always be a spoiled brat. Phil was mollycoddled to the point that he was not able to cope with the world.

metamorphosis

n. transformation, change of form, mutation The metamorphosis of human cells is happening every second. A complete cycle of metamorphosis is from the caterpillar to the butterfly.

peregrination

n. travels, wanderings Ninth graders love to study the peregrinations of Odysseus. The man was an interesting storyteller who told us of all his peregrinations throughout the South.

obloquy

n. verbal widespread abuse of a person or thing He never ran for public office after the obloquy concerning his father's campaign. The slanderers hoped to ruin his reputation, and their obloquy did just that.

landmark

n./adj. any prominent feature of a landscape; an event; of critical importance Indians learned to read the landmarks and to mark trails. The underdog winning the Super Bowl is always a landmark event.

routine

n./adj. customary procedures; habitual, regular, ordinary, expected Getting up early is part of Gary's routine for summer football practice. At least once a year, a routine medical checkup is advisable.

nonpartisan

n./adj. not supporting or controlled by any group, unbiased Nonpartisans have no affiliation with any political party. Being an independent thinker, he preferred to remain nonpartisan rather than attach himself to a specific group.

repudiate

v. disavow, revoke, annul, nullify The government of Ethiopia repudiated the treaty signed by the former ruler and promptly broke its terms. Jim repudiated the claim by the IRS that he had received illegal payments, and he was determined to prove his innocence.

mortify

v. disconcert, shame, to embarrass, to humiliate Jeff was mortified when the dean asked what happened at the fraternity party the previous night. Billy mortified his sister with by showing her boyfriend pictures of her ex-boyfriend.

macerate

v. dissolve; to soften by soaking; to emaciate; to wither The tablet will macerate in water and can be swallowed thereafter. Toilet paper is designed to macerate in water.

preen

v. dress smartly; to pride or congratulate oneself for achievement The queen preened herself in the elaborate ceremonial robes of the past royalty. Joseph preened himself for having graduated at the top of his class.

prolong

v. elongate, perpetuate, to lengthen in extent or duration Because of the airline strike, we have to prolong our visit until next Thursday. The football game was prolonged because the game ended in a tie.

transgress

v. failing to fulfill or conform; violate a moral law Sherry transgressed many traffic laws, so the judge took away her driver's license. The enemy transgressed so many treaty violations, we no longer could trust them.

precipitate

v. hasten, expedite, accelerate World War II precipitated John's induction in the military services. The underground explosion precipitated an avalanche of snow which trapped the campers.

retard

v. hinder, impede, to slow down, to hold back Lack of sunlight retards growth in many botanical organisms. The antibiotic retarded the bacterial growth and assisted recovery.

pique

v. irritate; also to arouse curiosity Their cousin piqued her three cousins by not inviting them to her wedding. The introduction of the mystery movie piqued my interest, so I kept reading.

vex

v. irritate; annoy; provoke The neighbor's dog howled throughout the night and vexed Darren because it kept him from sleeping. Jimmy was vexed after being stuck in a stalled elevator.

mitigate

v. moderate in severity, alleviate, soften Alzheimer's disease will be mitigated by experimental drugs in about one year. In order to mitigate the traffic problem, the city has proposed adding four more lanes.

mediate

v. negotiate John attempted to mediate between the union and General Motors for a contract. The judge ruled the case had to be mediated before it would be heard.

stymie

v. prevent from accomplishing a purpose We were stymied from reaching our destination when the mechanic refused to fix our car on a holiday. Ric's chess move was so unorthodox it stymied his opponent into utter confusion.

wrest

v. pull away; take by violence Police say never try to wrest a knife away from a person who threatens you. The driver had too much to drink, so his passengers wrested the keys away from him.

pan

v. put down, censure, to criticize harshly Peter panned the book in his newspaper review, causing its sales to drop drastically. Even though movie critics panned the film, it became number one on sales charts.

mar

v. render less perfect, impair, spoil Beth arrived scantily dressed to mar her ex-husband's wedding ceremony. The antique furniture was marred by scratches during delivery.

replenish

v. replace, renew, restock, fill again The soda salesman replenished the cans in the soda machine. Charlie's restaurant replenished all its food and supplies after the hurricane.

resound

v. reverberate, echo, vibrate, to ring The sound of church bells resounded throughout the Alpine Valley. The name of Kennedy resounded throughout American history.

pervade

v. saturate, penetrate, to spread throughout The aroma of the freshly baked bread pervaded the entire house. The final day of Tex's vacation was pervaded with sadness.

peruse

v. scrutinize, read carefully, review For a day the lawyer perused the baseball contract, checking its validity. He perused the newspaper ads looking for a new car to purchase.

quaver

v. shake tremulously, quiver or tremble The frightened child quavered as he waited for the clerk to find his mommy. San Fransisco quavers now and then as an earthquake threatens the area.

simper

v. smirk; giggle; snicker; smile foolishly The teacher didn't know she had a piece of duct tape on her hair until she figured out why the children were simpering and pointing at her. Jeff and Ruth simpered when Beth entered the room dressed in her outlandish Easter Bunny outfit.

scotch

v. suppress, thwart, to put an end to John did his best to scotch rumors that he was going to marry Ruth. The sheriff scotched the prison riot by calling in the National Guard.

waver

v. sway to and fro; tremble, shake; to be undecided The palm tree wavered in the hurricane winds. The older woman wavered on the top step and nearly fell.

pontificate

v. to act or speak arrogantly; to be conceited, overconfident, egotistical The conceited quarterback continually pontificates about his position on the football team. Don't pontificate about your good luck; it could change at any moment.

postulate

v. to assume without proof n. a self-evident axiom Carole postulated that Ryan would go to his locker after class, so she headed in that direction. The unprepared student's postulate is that he will study tomorrow.

prattle

v. to babble; to talk meaninglessly Mary and Leslie prattle about everyone in the neighborhood. The three-year-old prattled for hours although no one understood what she was saying.

nonplus

v. to baffle, to confuse, disconcert, bewilder The older couple as nonplussed by the new Direct TV settings. Joe was nonplussed by the game of hearts and therefore lost badly.

seethe

v. to be agitated, as by rage; to churn and foam as if boiling Billy's father began to seethe as he reviewed the children's phone bill. When he learned that his kingdom had been conquered, the king seethed with anger.

stagnate

v. to be or become motionless; to fail to grow or develop The local economy stagnated when the factories closed. High costs have caused the building industries to stagnate.

perpetrate

v. to be responsible for or guilty of a misdeed The election fraud was perpetrated by the Democratic Party. The thief perpetrated the robbery at the First National Bank.

perplex

v. to bewilder; to confuse, mystify Calculus perplexed Stan, and he regretted taking the course for credit. The functioning of the entire brain has perplexed medical science for years.

polarize

v. to break up into opposing factions or groups Once the tour bus arrived in the city, the group polarized, and half of the people spent the day at the beach and the remaining went shopping. The football stadium was polarized, with home fans occupying the south bleachers and visiting fans occupying the north bleachers.

terminate

v. to bring to an end The boss said he was sorry to do it but the position had been terminated. My father said I must terminate the relationship I had with our neighbor.

redeem

v. to buy back; exchange something for money or for goods; to make up for You can redeem the coupon for cash. The gardener can redeem himself by replacing my rare plants.

pacify

v. to calm, appease, soothe, placate King Rex pacified the huge mob with promises to repeal the unpopular tax. Herb pacified his baby son with a pacifier.

percolate

v. to cause a liquid to pass through a porous body, to filter As the coffee percolated and the rolls baked, a tempting aroma filled the room. Carl's ideas percolated through the political gathering and gained support.

reverberate

v. to cause a sound to re-echo In the cave, our voices reverberated off the walls, causing an eerie effect. While we stood on the rim of the Grand Canyon, we could hear the reverberations of pebbles that had broken loose and fallen to the depths. (n.)

tousle

v. to cause disorder or dishevel Burlien tousled the file cabinet while frantically looking for the missing file. The room had been tousled, clothing and furniture scattered about in complete disarray.

render

v. to cause to be; to give or provide; to represent something New technology renders a computer obsolete in a year. Sister Beatrice renders service unto God.

titillate

v. to cause to feel pleasantly excited; to stimulate; to tease The public was titillated by the gossip about the president's alleged affair. The puppy titillated the baby.

spew

v. to cause to flow or to throw up; vomit The old car spewed oil all over my driveway. The great fish spewed Jonah onto the shore.

synchronize

v. to cause to occur at the same time; to make simultaneous The captain had his troops synchronize their watches in order to begin the attack at the same time. One of the jobs of a film editor is to synchronize the stunts so the audience cannot detect where the stuntman took over from the actor.

regurgitate

v. to cause to surge or rush back, vomit Some mother birds feed their young by regurgitating food. The stomach flu causes victims to regurgitate.

modify

v. to change or alter Nancy's nose job will certainly modify her appearance. The editor sent the manuscript back for me to modify.

throttle

v. to choke or strangle; to enlarge or reduce the flow of fuel in an engine I'm so mad at Henry for standing me up; I could throttle him. Roger throttled his engine and shot ahead of the pack.

purport

v. to claim or profess, to declare, to give the appearance, often falsely John purported to have run a mile under four minutes. Dave purported to the police that he was attacked, but no one really believed his story.

vindicate

v. to clear from all blame; exculpate; exonerate The jury vindicated Howard when the butler was proven guilty of the murder. The US Navy eventually vindicated Captain McVay for any blame in the sinking of USS Indianapolis.

soothe

v. to comfort; to calm, to ease pain Bruce attempted to soothe the hard feelings between the antagonists. The doctor prescribed medication which soothed Cheryl's back pain.

vie

v. to compete; to struggle; contest You don't need to vie for my affection because you already have it. Stan was vying for a chance to represent his country in the next Olympics when he tore a muscle on the last lap.

succumb

v. to comply with; accede; to yield; die The lady succumbed to her illness, and her body was sent to the funeral home. The parents finally succumbed to the children's pleading and gave them ice cream.

subdue

v. to conquer; overcome; get the better of The paramedics subdued the injured man for his own protection. Alexis's soothing words subdued the child's fear and screams.

persevere

v. to continue in spite of difficulty Even though writing the research paper was difficult, Joe persevered until he had it completed. Because he forced himself to persevere, Hemingway was taken from the airplane wreck alive.

replicate

v. to copy or repeat something; to duplicate Researchers tried to replicate the original experiment. For my parents' wedding anniversary, Dad tried to replicate their first date.

redress

v. to correct a wrong; to make amends for Affirmative action to help minorities is intended to redress wrongs done in the past. There is no adequate redress for the accidental loss of a limb, but monetary compensation can replace the loss of wages. (n.)

rectify

v. to correct, to straighten, amend, revise, set right The accountant rectified the error before the ledgers were audited. The official rectified his call after viewing the instant replay.

originate

v. to create or bring into being Edgar Allan Poe is believed to be the one to originate the modern short story. Let's check the postage to see where the package originated.

reprove

v. to criticize or correct gently; reproach; chide, scold Arlene reproved Bill for leaving the master bathroom in disorder after he used it. When Margie giggled in the middle of church service, her mother Irene reproved her with a stern look.

revile

v. to criticize strongly; to berate President Clinton was reviled for his apparent lies. The group was reviled for taking action without contracting all members.

mince

v. to cut into small pieces; speak directly and frankly, affected elegance She minced onion, celery, and bell peppers for her stir-fry recipe. The officer minced few words with the driver of the stolen car.

sever

v. to cut off; separate; divide After the saw severed the man's hand, doctors were unable to reattach it. (ewww) The guillotine was an execution device invented to sever the head.

whittle

v. to cut, trim Thomas whittled while he worked, carving figures of the seven dwarves of wood. Jet aircraft are much faster than propeller-driven aircraft and have whittled down the time it takes to fly from airport to airport.

vanquish

v. to defeat completely; conquer; overcome Smallpox, a once-deadly disease, has now been vanquished from existence. Henrietta vanquished her drug problems and returned to work.

maim

v. to disable or disfigure; to cripple Joshua saw action in the invasion of France, where he was maimed when he stepped on a land mine and lost his leg. Every year people are maimed in automobile accidents by drunk drivers.

ruffle

v. to disturb the smoothness of, to upset mildly The wind ruffled Sally's hair during the open air game. The blindside tackle ruffled the quarterback's composure.

partition

v. to divide something into parts n. an interior structure dividing a larger area Korea was originally one country before being partitioned into North and South Korea. In most tennis clubs, fence partitions separate the courts from each other.

patronize

v. to do business with; to be client of, to treat as an inferior Don't patronize me; I am not a child, I'm your wife! Phil patronized the restaurant on Sundays for its "all you can eat" special.

quaff

v. to drink heartily After football practice, I quaffed a whole gallon of water. Fraternity parties often involve the quaffing of large quantities of beverages.

oust

v. to eject; to force out; to banish The fans wanted Roger ousted for making too much noise during the tennis match. The student was ousted from school after he attacked the principal.

regale

v. to entertain lavishly, feast, make merry The gracious hosts regaled their visitors with delicious food and fabulous entertainers. Opening night parties regale the critics and stars in opulent splendor.

ostracize

v. to exclude from a group; to shun Andre felt ostracized by the members of the club, but the truth was they couldn't understand his accent. After gaining a reputation as a cheap-shot player with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he joined the Dallas Cowboys only to find he was ostracized by the Dallas players as well.

rationalize

v. to explain in a reasonable way The little boys were attempting to rationalize their behavior before they were forced to explain to their parents. Criminals always try to rationalize their reasons for committing a crime.

reproach

v. to express disapproval of Although he realized his behavior was not beyond reproach, he didn't think it was bad enough for him to be suspended from school. (n.) While at trial, the defending lawyer reproached the tactics of the prosecutor and appealed to the judge to have the prosecutor's remarks stricken from the records.

rhapsodize

v. to express oneself in an enthusiastic manner; to gush I can't help but rhapsodize when I talk about my boyfriend and how perfect he is. The fairy tales rhapsodize about the princess meeting Prince Charming.

tether

v. to fasten or confine with a rope, chain or something similar Norman's wife has him tethered to a short leash and won't let him play poker with the guys. We tethered the boat to the dock with lines both fore and aft.

rue

v. to feel sorry about something; to regret; mourn He'll rue the day his teenage daughter received her driver's license when he starts paying the high insurance costs. I rue the day I met him because he has caused nothing but trouble!

nest

v. to fit snugly together To save space, we purchased three small tables that nested into each other. Holly berries were nested colorfully within the wreath.

permeate

v. to flow or spread through; penetrate The smell of baking cookies permeated Grandma's house. Before the explosion, witnesses said the smell of gasoline permeated the flight cabin.

prognosticate

v. to foretell or predict It is the weatherman's job to prognosticate the weather so we will know what to wear in the morning. One could prognosticate the outcome of the football game after watching only the first four downs.

ogle

v. to gaze with an amorous, flirtatious, or impertinent look The gorgeous lady tourist in Italy was ogled by all the men. The teenagers drove by slowly, ogling the cute guys on the curb.

vivify

v. to give a lift; animate; quicken The changes in the decor vivified the house for the newlyweds. Music vivified the somber atmosphere at the post-graduation ball.

spawn

v. to give rise to; to produce in large numbers; to give birth The flu outbreak spawned major attendance problems at the school. Salmon always return to their native streams to spawn.

relinquish

v. to give up doing, professing, or intending; to surrender, give in He never relinquished his ambition to become a circus clown and finally performed with a well-known circus. The retiring executive merrily relinquished his control of the company with a wave from his yacht.

renounce

v. to give up voluntarily by formal declaration, cast aside To marry an American woman, King Edward renounced all rights to the English throne. The candidate renounced his candidacy, but his name was still on the ballot.

predestine

v. to govern and decide by, or as if by, fate According to her horoscope, she was predestined to make a big mistake today. According to the fortune teller, Dayne was predestined to marry his enemy's daughter.

undermine

v. to gradually, secretly weaken and destroy; to impair Jenny's hints and innuendos undermined my plans for her sister's surprise birthday party. The building's foundation is being undermined by the eroding beach.

thrive

v. to grow strong; flourish; prosper; succeed Paul's garden seems to thrive on the new fertilizer. Now that the new expressway has opened, the shopping center should thrive.

surmise

v. to guess; to infer (something) without sufficient evidence Detective Culleton quickly surmised the identity of the murderer by the obvious clues present at the crime scene. When everyone began to laugh, Jonathan surmised he was the butt of a practical joke.

teem

v. to have in abundance; to overrun; swarm The lake is teeming with trout, so you will most likely catch one. There teemed thousands of killer bees coming from South America.

pummel

v. to hit or pound repeatedly with the fists The prizefighter pummeled the face of his opponent until the referee finally pulled him away. Chefs need to pummel dough to prepare it for baking.

override

v. to ignore or refuse to accept that which already exists or operates; to prevail over; to overrule The legislature voted to override the presidential veto, making it null and void. Their panic will override all other considerations as they rush to get out of the building.

mimic

v. to imitate or copy Rich Little mimics many famous personalities when performing on stage. The teacher accused Harry of mimicking her voice when she was out of the room.

vitiate

v. to impair; make faulty; spoil Dave's nasty temper vitiates his good qualities. The advent of TV vitiated the old-fashioned practice of children learning at home with their parents.

obtrude

v. to impose oneself or one's ideas on others; to stick out Tim hoped his parents wouldn't obtrude upon his plans for camping over the weekend. The fallen tree obtruded into the road and was causing a traffic jam.

reform

v. to improve, to change for the better, rehabilitate, restore The alcoholic joined a support group and reformed his drinking habits. The athlete reformed his method of training and became a star.

motivate

v. to incite or impel A good teacher always knows how to motivate her class. The coach motivated his team with an inspiring speech.

proliferate

v. to increase in number and spread rapidly, regenerate Germs proliferate when sick people come to work. Sue's rabbits proliferated until she was forced to buy two more cages for the offspring.

whet

v. to increase; sharpen; stimulate I read one of Ernest Hemingway's short stories, and it whetted my appetite for more. The butcher whets his blade frequently for a cleaner cut of meat.

sweep

v. to influence or extend over a great area Hip-hop is a new music sweeping the nation. The FBI agents were visually sweeping the crowd for early signs of trouble.

prompt

v. to inspire, strongly encourage, incite The student was prompted to major in music by his choral instructor. Thank you for prompting the actors during rehearsal of the play.

underwrite

v. to insure; to assume financial responsibility; to subsidize The museum show was largely underwritten by a grant from the government of Egypt. Uncle Herb agreed to underwrite my scuba expedition, feeling certain I would find the sunken treasure.

trespass

v. to invade another's property; to overstep; infringe The farmer threatened to shoot anyone who trespassed on his property. The fishing boat was seized for trespassing into restricted waters.

nettle

v. to irritate; vex Little brothers always nettle their older brothers by tagging along and being bothersome. Rashes and insect bites can annoy and nettle their victims.

warrant

v. to justify; provide grounds for; to guarantee Henry's paintings do not warrant a second glance; they are very amateurish. Joe's father warrants that his son can broad jump over twenty-five feet.

profess

v. to lay claim to, often insincerely, pass oneself off Pierre professed to be royalty only to admit later he had lied. Henry professed to be a doctor but was picked up for having a phony license.

perorate

v. to lecture, give a sermon, to speak formally At the medical conference, Dr. Clara perorated about the possible conclusions of future researches. The preacher perorated for over an hour until the church service was finally concluded.

skulk

v. to lie or keep in hiding; move silently and furtively The thief skulked in the shadows as he planned how he would break into the house. The lion skulked in the tall reeds waiting for the antelopes to graze closer.

prevaricate

v. to lie, perjure, fib, deceive, falsify Mary's poor grade indicates she may have prevaricated a bit about how long she studied for the test. Joe prevaricated because he did not want to explain his whereabouts on the night of the murder.

scrutinize

v. to look very carefully; to examine Each day newspaper proofreaders scrutinize an entire newspaper line by line for errors. Each inch of a commercial airplane must be carefully scrutinized for safety hazards before it is put into service.

uphold

v. to maintain in good condition; support or defend Pierre offered to fight a duel to uphold his family's honor. The Congress upholds the U.S. Constitution from all fractions that would change it.

perforated

v. to make a hole by boring, punching, or piercing The page of coupons is perforated so consumers can easily tear them apart. The iceberg perforated the hull of the ship.

stipulate

v. to make an express demand as part of an agreement Ludwig stipulated the exact amount he could pay the contractor. The condo rules stipulate that no pets are to be kept by the residents.

refurbish

v. to make clean, fresh, and attractive again; to make like new Karen refurbished her kitchen and it now looks brand new. I am going to refurbish my mom's antique table for her.

qualify

v. to make eligible, adapt, make competent, or capable In order to qualify to play in the U.S. Open one must accumulate enough points by playing in many other tournaments. In order to qualify for food stamps, one's income must be below a certain level.

scoff

v. to make fun of; to mock in disapproval The coach scoffed at the notion that he was about to resign. Ralph's father scoffed at his fear of the dark, saying maybe he had heard too many ghost stories.

palliate

v. to make less serious or severe; to mitigate The accident situation was palliated by the arrival of emergency vehicles. The nurse palliated the patient's burns by applying cold, wet bandages to the sensitive area.

nullify

v. to make useless; cancel; undo The purchase contract was nullified because it was never signed by the buyer. Jane wanted her marriage annulled because her husband was trying to nullify their prenuptial agreement.

stigmatize

v. to mark with disgrace or infamy The father's crime stigmatized the entire family. People with a mental disorder are stigmatized by society.

mottle

v. to mark with spots or blotches of different shades or colors The dog shook himself off in the living room and mottled the furniture with mud. After the rain, Sally's car windows were mottled with water spots.

recede

v. to move back or away from a point, limit or ebb The tidal waters receded after the heavy rainstorm, so people returned home. Our beaches are receding, causing great concern to the environmentalists.

waft

v. to move gently on water or air; to blow The principal could smell cigarette smoke wafting down the hallway from the girl's bathroom. Leaves wafted down from the trees, landing softly on the ground like multicolored feathers.

shunt

v. to move or turn aside; to evade by putting aside or ignoring The crash was caused by a failure of the trainman to shunt the train onto the proper rails. The running back dashed down the field shunting right and left to avoid the tacklers.

oscillate

v. to move repeatedly from side to side or up and down between two points; to vary between two feelings or opinions; to waver; vacillate Laura oscillates between cooperation and hostility. As the subject watched the pendulum oscillate, back and forth repeatedly, his eyes became very heavy.

tolerate

v. to not interfere with; to respect Father will tolerate no phone calls to our house after 10:00 p.m. Although I tolerate my younger sister, sometimes she can drive me crazy.

vacillate

v. to not know one's own mind; fluctuate; to waver Manny appeared to be certain yesterday, but today he is vacillating. It is not good for a teacher or parent to vacillate after making a decision.

obfuscate

v. to obscure, blur, complicate, confuse Abe's confusing questions merely obfuscated the clear issue of better housing for the poor. The old man's memories were obfuscated as the years past seemed to blend together.

procure

v. to obtain or acquire something by special means; secure something with an effort We procured maps and directions from the tourist office. Our museum employs a person to procure items of special interest for display.

subsidize

v. to pay part of the cost; to provide financial assistance The government subsidizes the rent of some qualified low-income families. Jeffrey works as a waiter to pay part of his college tuition, while his father subsidizes the rest.

wheedle

v. to persuade or influence I tried to wheedle five more dollars from my father before I left for the movie. The class tried to wheedle the teacher into not giving any homework over the weekend.

seclude

v. to place in or withdraw into solitude, sequester; cloister The monk was secluded in a monastery high on a mountaintop. The judge sequestered the jury, and they were secluded in a hotel.

muse

v. to ponder; meditate; think about at length Chess is a game of skill whereupon each player muses over all the possible plays before deciding which piece to move. Though the odds of winning the lottery are very low, it is fun to muse about what you would do if you actually won.

ruminate

v. to ponder; to reflect upon Because she had made up her mind, Nancy did not need time to ruminate when Pete asked her to marry him. Michael often ruminated about a better way to train his horse.

presage

v. to portend, forecast or predict; to prophesy Karen's tears presage a sad story about to be unfolded. They say people experience an "aura" that presages an oncoming seizure or a migraine headache.

prepossess

v. to possess or dominate beforehand as a prejudice Eileen prepossessed the idea that her written article was the best, so she refused to listen to any criticism. Charlotte was prepossessed with the White Witches and the good they do before she truly understood their purpose.

tout

v. to praise highly; publicize; vaunt You can see him on TV touting his hair products. Jimmy Branch was touted as the next Tiger Woods.

supplicate

v. to pray humbly; make humble; to propose an earnest entry or petition Mr. Crosland is a county commissioner who sets aside two days a week to hear the supplications of the voters in his district. (n.) The bishop supplicated his parish to succor the victims of the earthquake.

malinger

v. to pretend to be ill to avoid doing work Whenever Tom had chores to do on the farm, he would malinger, claiming to have a headache. Many students fail to do their homework, but few will admit it is because they malinger.

repress

v. to prevent from being expressed; to hold back The government repressed all aid until the victims showed proof of their need. It was getting harder for Bill to repress his feelings for Jayne since the two were constantly thrown together.

obviate

v. to prevent or eliminate in advance; render unnecessary or irrelevant; to avert A peaceful solution would obviate the need to send a UN military force. This new medication will obviate the need for a lengthy recovery period.

promulgate

v. to proclaim; to publicly or formally declare something; set forth Professor Tomlinson promulgated to the freshman that only fifty percent would remain for their sophomore year. T. H. Huxley promulgated Darwin's Theory of Evolution in numerous texts.

purvey

v. to provide, furnish, supply items as a business or service Income tax forms are purveyed through the mail or are available at all post offices. The uniform company purveyed the outfits for the waiters and waitresses.

retract

v. to pull back in; to take back, cancel or revoke After Barbara uncovered the new facts she had to retract statements she had made in published articles. The pilot retracted the landing gear soon after takeoff.

palpitate

v. to pulsate with unusual rapidity from stress, disease, or emotion Because of John's infection, his heart palpitates like a beating drum. The contestants' hearts palpitated as they awaited the final results.

reminisce

v. to recall the past, usually pleasantly Sometimes when we are feeling nostalgic, my wife and I lie back, listen to the music of the 1960s, and reminisce about when we were dating. The reminiscent qualities of his art brought back fond memories of Paris in the 19th century. (adj.)

rebuff

v. to refuse to accept; to snub or reject Our request for assistance has been rebuffed, so we'll have to do the job ourselves. Rob rebuffs all of Julie's advances, continuing to ignore her.

revere

v. to regard with great devotion or respect, to honor Mother Teresa was greatly revered by all who knew of her humanitarian work in India. The author was revered with a Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

spurn

v. to reject with disdain Rose spurned Jeff's advances; she could see he was insincere and showing off for his friends. John thought he had made a fair offer for the house, but the seller spurned it.

remand

v. to remit, send back or consign again The Supreme Cort remanded the case to a lower court. The Book of the Month Club permits members to remand unauthorized books.

table

v. to remove from consideration The officers of the company voted to table the matter of higher wages until some future time. The president decided we should table the discussion for the time being.

revamp

v. to renovate; to revise or reconstruct This curriculum needs to be revamped since it hasn't been changed in ten years. I can revamp that old sofa and make it look brand new.

propagate

v. to reproduce, breed, multiply; to spread or circulate The new diet was propagated in a pamphlet describing its benefits. Some scientists propagate the theory that cancer is inherited.

paraphrase

v. to restate a text or passage which makes it more clear Paraphrase, or write the notes in your own words, instead of just copying them. The reporters paraphrased the president's speech during the evening news.

recoil

v. to retreat; shrink back A grisly car wreck always makes us recoil. Pamela recoiled in fear when she saw the snake slithering toward her.

reconcile

v. to reunite, conciliate, to settle a dispute; to make up Father was able to reconcile with his brothers concerning the disagreement fifty years earlier. Megan and Scott reconciled after breaking up two weeks ago.

winnow

v. to rid of undesirable parts The military winnows out officer candidates who are not officer material. The farmer winnowed out the weakling cows so the stock would improve in future generations.

pillage

v. to rob of goods by violent seizure, plunder; to take as spoils The enemy invaders pillaged the village, taking everything not tied down and killing the cows and chickens. After the kids and their school friends pillaged the refrigerator, there was nothing left but a little ketchup and mustard.

remonstrate

v. to say or plead in protest, object, or disapprove Patrick Henry remonstrated, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" The dissatisfied tax payers remonstrated years later about the school debt of 1997.

sear

v. to scorch or burn; to brand The cattleman seared his brand on all his cattle. Cooking the steaks on a grill left sear marks on the meat. (n.)

ransack

v. to search thoroughly; pillage April had to ransack her room in order to find the overdue library book. The king and his men were busy ransacking the village and did not know a truce had been called.

usurp

v. to seize by force without legal right The army revolted and usurped control from the rightful government. The magazine usurped copyrighted poems without the authors' permission.

repulse

v. to send back, to reject, rebuff, ignore, avoid The U.S. Army repulsed the attacking German forces, sending them back into the Black Forest. Charlie's unfriendly neighbors repulsed his offers of friendship.

segregate

v. to separated or keep apart from others To segregate truth from fiction is the duty and obligation of every trial jury. The fishermen segregated the marketable fish from the junk fish which they returned to the sea.

sequester

v. to set or keep apart; seclude; isolate; put aside John's jury was sequestered for the weekend in a hotel where they could not meet with anyone. Restaurants sequester smokers in an area apart from the non-smokers.

predispose

v. to set up or influence a behavior or condition; to lay the groundwork for A medical test to determine if a woman is predisposed to breast cancer can help her take precautions. His good manners predispose people to like him.

molt

v. to shed periodically an outer covering of skin or feathers Snakes molt periodically, leaving the outer skin behind as waste material. The male peacock molts before appearing in his colorful plumage.

truncate

v. to shorten by cutting off The president truncated his speech so everyone could go home. Because of unforeseen circumstances, our vacation was truncated after the first week.

substantiate

v. to show something to be true; to support with facts; to prove The police have enough evidence to substantiate complaints of vandalism. As yet there has been no way to substantiate claims of aliens visiting Earth that is acceptable to the general public.

quail

v. to shrink with fear; to cower; to lose heart and courage A leader is one who does not quail in the face of adversity. The previously beaten dog quailed each time his new owner raised his hand.

malign

v. to slander, to speak harmful and evil untruths The candidate was preparing a brochure carefully not to malign his opponent. The National Enquirer is notorious for maligning celebrities.

truckle

v. to slavishly support every opinion or suggestion of a superior Sarah is a would-be actress who truckles to every producer, director, or agent she meets. Brent truckled the teacher, hoping he would get an "A."

shun

v. to slight deliberately; take pains to avoid Nancy didn't invite Joe to her daughter's wedding, so Joe now shuns Nancy whenever he sees her. The miners who belonged to the union shunned the non-union workers at the factory.

scintillate

v. to sparkle; dazzle; stimulate The conversation at the annual comedian's ball scintillated with witty remarks. Gloria wore a diamond necklace and earrings that scintillated like stars.

slander

v. to speak badly about someone in public; to defame, spread rumors The movie star sued the magazine for slandering her good name by printing an article that defamed her character. Desperate political candidates sometimes use underhanded tactics by planting slanderous stories about their opponents. (adj.)

rail

v. to speak bitterly; to complain violently The sergeant railed his recruits about how poorly they completed the obstacle course. It really bothers me when other students rail about how hard their classes are instead of just doing their work.

traduce

v. to speak maliciously and false of; slander; defame; vilify That gossip will traduce anyone who is not present. Jennie's traducements about Barbara's untrustworthy character were known to everyone present. (n.)

waffle

v. to speak or write evasively The President waffled on some of the questions the press asked about the scandal surrounding his administration. Political speech writers make a living waffling on the issues.

suffuse

v. to spread through or over; to cover; to saturate The garden was suffused in the orange glow of morning sunlight. If unattended, weeds will suffuse your lawn, leaving no grass at all.

temporize

v. to stall; cause delay Because his star witness was late to court, the lawyer temporized by giving a long opening argument. TV news reporters must be skilled at ad-libbing when there are schedule delays and there is a need to temporize.

reiterate

v. to state again The teacher reiterated that the test would be easy. In court, the woman reiterated the divorce demands she had presented to her husband.

thwart

v. to stop something from happening; to hinder, oppose, or frustrate Bad weather thwarted our plans for a cookout on the beach. Nothing thwarts Justin from practicing ballet four hours each day.

stanch

v. to stop the flow of liquid, especially blood The doctor put pressure on the cut, and that stanched the flow of blood. The children dug a trench to stanch the incoming tide.

swagger

v. to strut; saunter; stride insolently Greg swaggered into the room grinning like a Cheshire cat. General Patton swaggered along the battle lines wearing his traditional pearl-handled pistols.

swelter

v. to suffer from oppressive heat We were afraid that we would swelter in the desert heat without water and shade. The children sweltered in their classroom because the air conditioner was broken.

pilfer

v. to take another's property without permission The two ladies pilfered small items but were caught before leaving the store. The man wore a coat in order to pilfer silverware from the restaurant.

rescind

v. to take back or make invalid; revoke The vote rescinds zoning decisions made earlier in the decade and returns the property to its original use. The payment was rescinded when the work was found to be faulty.

supplant

v. to take the place of After the school superintendent retired, she was supplanted by the deputy superintendent. The scheduled boxing match was postponed and supplanted by a Hawaiian dance concert.

presuppose

v. to think that something is true in advance; to assume beforehand Theresa presupposes that Ethan will give her an engagement ring for Christmas, but Ethan is still thinking about the big step. Just because he earns a lot of money, people shouldn't presuppose he had a formal education.

scorn

v. to treat with a great lack of respect Roger was scorned by friends because he refused to play any sports. Harry scorns his brother when he drinks and drives.

writhe

v. to twist or bend; to suffer acutely, as in pain or embarrassment The fish writhed free of the hook and escaped back into the sea. Tina writhed in her seat when the class heard she had failed chemistry for the third time.

perceive

v. to understand; grasp mentally Some concepts are easier to perceive than others. The child was able to perceive the gravity of the situation by the way his father was reacting.

plagiarize

v. to use another's idea or work and claim it as your own A musician can be sued for plagiarizing another artist's music and profiting from it. Some students try to plagiarize their reports by copying the words from another source.

utilize

v. to use, employ; put into service; avail oneself To prevent reliance on oil for power, more machines must utilize solar energy. Television marketing utilizes viewer statistics to reach the most people at any given time.

modulate

v. to vary the loudness, pitch, intensity, or tone of; to adjust a particular measure or proportion Teachers modulate their approach in response to their students' needs. Modulate your tone of voice when speaking in court.

parry

v. to ward off a blow; to turn aside; to avoid skillfully, to evade The boxers parried blows as each waited for an opening to strike a knockout punch. Parrying with respective verbal arguments, the politicians blamed each other for the increase in statewide crime.

squander

v. to waste; misspend; fritter away Helen decided not to squander her money on such an expensive dress. The visiting team squandered their chance for a touchdown at the one-yard line.

subside

v. to weaken; to diminish or lessen; sink or settle When his mother's pain didn't subside, Matt drove her to the hospital. Forecasters predict the high winds will subside today, and the afternoon weather will be calm.

marshal

v./n. to assemble for the purpose of doing something; an officer in the police or military Marshaling their forces, the British defeated Rommel at El Alamein. Wyatt Earp was the marshal of Dodge City.

pesky

adj. annoying; disagreeable I have to give my speech even though I have a pesky cold. His little brother is the peskiest child I have ever met.

vexatious

adj. annoying; troublesome Margaret thinks her little brother is the most vexatious person imaginable. Lou's vexatious personality made him a lonely man.

rakish

adj. appearing fast, neat appearance; dashing, casual look The rakish speedboat flew across the lake. When the rakish young man entered the room everyone stared at him.

stupendous

adj .very great in amount or size; extraordinary; remarkable John ran up such stupendous debts he will never be able to pay them. When the department of sanitation went on strike, stupendous piles of garbage lined the streets.

relevant

adj. applicable; pertinent The DNA tests were relevant to the defense's proof of their not guilty plea. The details of the incident are relevant to the penalty.

vulgar

adj. a characteristic by a lack of taste, refinement; crude Uncle Tom's vulgar language at the dinner table embarrassed us all. The vulgar man in the restaurant made us nervous, so we decided to leave.

venial

adj. able to be forgiven or pardoned; not seriously wrong; excusable Lawrence was not perfect, but his mistakes were only venial. The case was not heard because the charges were obviously venial.

resourceful

adj. able to deal effectively with different situations, innovative, proficient Boris was a clever, resourceful young man, able to solve many of the problems in the chemistry department. Marianne's resourceful ideas resulted in a successful new preschool program.

quiescent

adj. at rest, inactive; dormant The stadium remains quiescent until football season starts. You have to make your mind quiescent so a hypnotist can do his job.

sacrosanct

adj. blindly accepted, unquestioned, sacred The Aztec tribe considered its burial grounds sacrosanct to the outside world. General Eisenhower's orders to those in his command were sacrosanct during World War II.

valiant

adj. bold; courageous; stouthearted; heroic In the face of international scandal, Laura was a valiant soul who stood by her beliefs. The soldier received the Silver Star for his valiant conduct under fire.

transparent

adj. clear; easily seen or understood The water off of St. John's Island was so transparent you could see the fish. The transparent curtains will never keep the light out.

remote

adj. distant, out-of-the-way, far away, unfriendly Sharon dreamed of traveling to remote South Sea islands. To our parents, space travel seemed only a remote concept and possibility.

variegated

adj. diversified; varied in appearance Our trip to New Zealand was variegated between mountain climbing, river rafting, and cruising the fjords. Rudolph painted the room in variegated rainbow colors.

lyrical

adj. expressive of emotions, and often having the quality of a song; showing sincere emotion and strong feeling; songlike; poetic The lyrical noise of city traffic is music to my ears since I was born and raised in Manhattan. The lyrical poetry made me feel the same anguish the author was feeling, and it brought tears to my eyes.

superfluous

adj. extra; unnecessary; redundant Giving Billy a toy car for his birthday was superfluous; he already has more cars than are at the Daytona 500. Joy told her mother it was superfluous for her to remind her to put on sunscreen every time she went to the beach.

vivacious

adj. full of energy and enthusiasm; animated Judy Garland was a bright and vivacious actress with a vibrant singing voice. Joan's vivacious personality was infectious; she was always the life of the party.

quixotic

adj. idealistic and totally impractical Professor Callan said it is quixotic for society to ignore the world's environmental problems. Sue had the most quixotic ideas about what her life would be like if she ever won the lottery.

petulant

adj. ill-humored, irritable, cranky My mother told me not to play in the house the day my father lost his job, saying he was in a very petulant mood. Noah had to be careful in front of his petulant boss unless he wished to lose his job.

obtuse

adj. insensitive; blockheaded, slow in comprehension Hazel was so obtuse in math that she never did pass a single test. Some people are obtuse and unwilling to accept new ideas.

ungainly

adj. lacking gracefulness; clumsy; awkward I was ungainly as an adolescent, as graceful as a cow on ice! Newborn deer are ungainly and have difficulty walking at birth.

sluggish

adj. lacking mental and physical alertness and activity The cortisone shot made Josh sluggish, so he sat on the beach rather than surf with his friends. The mechanic said the engine was sluggish because it needed a tune-up.

tardy

adj. late; not on time Gerald, you'll be tardy for class if you don't hurry. The tardy progress of the work on the dam put the construction behind schedule.

temperate

adj. levelheaded, self-controlled, moderate We vacationed in Mexico City because of its temperate climate; it rarely gets too cold or too hot but is mild all year long. A leader of people should have a temperate attitude and calm disposition.

restrictive

adj. limiting Restrictive clothing is not the best choice when exercising. Jeremy did not like private school because he thought the rules were too restrictive.

tedious

adj. long and boring; dull; wearisome Learning a new computer program can be a tedious process. Jeb doesn't like tennis and says watching a tennis ball go back and forth over the nest is extremely tedious.

wistful

adj. longing; sorrowfully pining; yearning Judy gave a wistful look at the candy store as her mother hurried her past. Grandmother has a wistful look on her face.

vacuous

adj. not showing purpose, meaning, or intelligence; empty; devoid of ideas of emotion Sally's daughter had a vacuous expression on her face as if she couldn't believe I was asking her to work! Juliet doesn't like "blonde jokes" because all blondes are not vacuous!

palatial

adj. ostentatiously magnificent, extravagant, opulent The thirty-one-room estate falls into the palatial category. The completely-glass building was the center of the palatial mountain retreat in the Alps.

presumptuous

adj. overconfident; arrogant Pete's presumptuous attitude made everyone uncomfortable. Tom told Daisy that her presumptuous little affair was over.

sanctimonious

adj. practicing hypocrisy; pretending to be sincere They resented the Senator's sanctimonious remarks on immorality in America since everyone knew he was a lecher and a womanizer in private life. Grandpa is sanctimonious old root, but we still love him.

prenatal

adj. previous to birth Prenatal care starting as early as possible is paramount to the birth of a healthy child. Prenatal ultrasounds help to determine the gender of the unborn infant.

obstinate

adj. stubborn, unyielding, inflexible, unbending, self-willed The family was too obstinate to evacuate the house when the flood began. Frank's obstinate attitude made dealing with his brother a continuous argument.

perverse

adj. stubborn; contrary; intractable The mean principal takes perverse pleasure in suspending students. The perverse hunting guide had apparently returned to camp without us, and we were lost in the woods within the hour.

wanton

adj. uncalled for; malicious; unjustified; unprovoked Terrorists commit wanton destructive acts upon innocent people. To "eat, drink and be merry" with no thought of tomorrow is a wanton way to live.

rabid

adj. violent; raging The rabid dog was coming down the street, straight at us. My father was rabid when he learned my teenage sister was pregnant.

verbose

adj. wordy; long-winded; not succinct Senator Munn is so verbose it takes hours for him to tell a joke. No one accuses Jack of verbosity; he rarely says over ten words in an entire conversation. (n.)

threadbare

adj. worn and thin from much use; shabby The beggar's clothing was faded and threadbare. Sue's threadbare coat belied the claim that she was affluent.

laudable

adj. worthy of being praised Hector's teacher told him she thought it most laudable that he wanted to become a doctor, but an "F" in biology was not going to help him achieve his goal. During the rainy season, it appeared laudable of Tim to bring an umbrella and escort the girls to their bus after school, until they found out he was running for student president.

vehement

adj. zealous; ardent; impassioned, intense Zelda was vehement about not going to the class dance with her brother as her date. Turk is a vehement supporter of private school education.

solicitous

adj. zealous; thoughtful; anxiously caring or attentive Willie was always very solicitous toward his friends in the hospital. At the viewing, the undertaker was extremely solicitous to the family members.

medley

n. a collection of various things The performer sang a medley of western songs. The latest fad is a medley of vegetables in frozen packets.

malodor

n. a bad odor After the storm, the malodor made it clear that the sewers were not working. A malodorous stench filled the car after we ran over the skunk. (adj.)

tyro

n. a beginner; a novice Henry was no tyro at running marathon races; he had run fifteen and won three. I could tell that Roger was a tyro at chess when he could not remember how to set up the pieces on the board.

strife

n. a bitter conflict, quarrel, fight He was thin and gaunt and had led a life full of strife. It was a time of great strife in the kingdom because of three seasons of failed crops.

ramification

n. a branching out; a development growing out of and often complicating a problem or pain Courtney did not realize being late for work three mornings in a row would have ramifications until her boss fired her. The ramification of failing the state test is not graduating.

severance

n. a breaking off; a division into parts Bob's new company offered him a generous severance package even before he signed a contract to work. When Joan's job was terminated, she received two months' severance pay.

principle

n. a broad or basic rule or truth Because of her high principles, she refused to go along with the illegal plan. Alcoholics Anonymous is based on a few principles that members must follow.

pigment

n. a coloring matter or substance George mixed the pigment to obtain a new color. The use of thick and thin pigments on the painting produced different dimensions and style.

mandate

n. a command or authorization to do something Our new boss felt he had the mandate to fire anyone he didn't like. The university's mandate said Jack had to take English I before he could take the creative writing course that he really wanted.

parallel

n. a comparison between two things adj. extending in the same direction and at the same distance apart at every point The two witnesses told parallel stories with only minor differences. Parallel lines never meet.

travesty

n. a complete failure; mockery; a shameful imitation The jury's "not guilty" verdict was a travesty of justice; it was clearly obvious the defendant did it. The community theater's production of Hamlet 2001 was a travesty of Shakespeare's work.

snafu

n. a complete foul-up Snafu is originally a military expression meaning "Situation Normal All Fouled Up." The wedding party was a complete snafu because none of the guests showed up since they had not received any invitations.

quietude

n. a condition of tranquility Gene and Chris chose their property for the air of quietude and peace that pervaded the area. The war zone's quietude took the reporters by surprise.

pratfall

n. a fall on the buttocks; a humiliating defeat or failure After his pratfall, the clown's hat was askew. Hugh considered his campaign for school president a pratfall when he only received one vote, which was his own.

pretext

n. a false reason put forth to hide the real one Her pretext that she was staying over with a friend was a weak one, and her mother saw through it immediately. His pretext was that he had a dental appointment, but we all knew he was sneaking off to see Sally.

sanctuary

n. a holy place or place of protection Many German farmers offered sanctuary to Jews fleeing the Nazis. The wedding was held in the sanctuary at 4:00 PM on Saturday.

lummox

n. a large, ungainly, and dull-witted person The lummox scared many on the football field but moved like he had two left feet. George was a lovable lummox who wasn't very bright but had many friends.

ordinance

n. a law or rule made by a government or authority; a regulation, law, decree, or rule, especially one issued by a city or town A city ordinance forbids the parking of cars in this area. According to an old ordinance in a small Georgia town, it is against the law to sing out of tune.

roster

n. a list of names; especially of personnel available for duty The football program has a roster for both teams. Tom saw his name on the duty roster.

paradigm

n. a pattern that serves as a model or example When designing the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas the architects used the Great Pyramids of Egypt as their paradigm. The Model-T was used as a paradigm by many other automobile manufacturers in the early 1900s.

quirk

n. a peculiarity of behavior; an unaccountable act or event Bryan has the strangest quirk; he chews on his tongue whenever he concentrates on something. It was a quirk of fate that Elizabeth was sick at home the day her bus was involved in an accident.

millennium

n. a period of one thousand years How did you celebrate the end of the millennium on New Year's Eve 1999? The year 2000 signifies that two millennia have passed. (pl.)

ogre

n. a perversely bad, wicked person; a monster in fairy tales The giant ogre fell when Jack chopped down the beanstalk. The old man acted like an ogre, guarding his cabin with wild dogs and a shotgun.

seclusion

n. a place away from people and busy activities; solitude; privacy After the death of her husband, Agnes spent her days in the seclusion of her room. The prisoner was so violent the warden placed him in seclusion for thirty days.

spectrum

n. a range of objects; ideas or opinions A wide spectrum of ideas for the senior prom was represented at the meeting. A rainbow reveals a wide spectrum of colors.

meteor

n. a shooting star, transient fiery streak in the sky A meteor that strikes the Earth is called a meteorite. The shooting stars provided a meteor show of exploding light and color.

skirmish

n. a short fight that is usually no planned; a brief conflict There was a slight skirmish between two spectators on the sidelines on the field. The newspaper reported there was a skirmish between government troops and rebels outside the city last night.

parable

n. a simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson The story of the boy who cried wolf is a parable about the consequences of telling lies. The point of the parable told by the pastor during the sermon was that one should build a foundation on solid ground.

mode

n. a way or method of doing something; type, manner, fashion Once he became a lawyer, Hal put aside his jeans and dressed in the mode of his contemporaries: conservative dark suits, white shirts, and ties. Our vacation was spent in a laid-back mode, sleeping late and then catching rays on the beach.

quip

n. a witty remark or reply Our English teacher is especially known for his good-natured quips. Aaron's quip was lost on the five-year-olds.

vendetta

n. any prolonged and bitter feud, rivalry, contention A vendetta between the Hatfields and the McCoys went on for generations and caused many lives to be lost. Jill carries a vendetta against Cindy because she married her fiance.

panacea

n. cure-all, solution for all problems The new diet pill was supposed to be a panacea for all overweight people. The couple thought a baby would be the panacea for their faltering marriage.

mores

n. customary cultural standards; moral attitudes, manners, habits According to Chinese mores, it is polite for dinner guests to belch at the table as a gesture of appreciation and enjoyment. The problem with some community mores is that the older generation clings to outdated moral attitudes no longer appropriate for the times.

nepotism

n. favors shown by those in high positions to relatives and friends Totally inept, Howard was a real estate agent for the company only because his uncle, the president, was not above a little nepotism. The president was accused of nepotism when he chose his cousin for a top advisory position.

trepidation

n. fear; apprehension; nervous trembling; anxiety Trepidation is what people have while anticipating a dangerous occurrence. Before her operation, Darlene had extreme trepidation about the outcome.

qualm

n. feeling of uneasiness, doubt, or sickness When she stood up to give the graduation address, she looked as though she didn't have the slightest qualm. The criminal pulled the trigger without a qualm.

precursor

n. forerunner, something that goes before and indicates Bernard's polite letters were only precursors to blackmail. Sweating, pain in the left arm, and heavy breathing are precursors to a heart attack.

portent

n. forewarning, foreboding, sign, warning, omen The high winds were a portent of a rough flight ahead. The kidnapper's threatening note was just a portent of the cruelty he was capable of committing.

retraction

n. formal statement renouncing an inaccurate or unjustified comment, abjuration The newspaper printed a retraction about Jerry and Betty getting married when they learned they were really being divorced. His retraction of his comment came too late to prevent a civil suit for libel.

malady

n. illness; sickness; disease In Edgar Allen Poe's writings, most of his main characters have some sort of malady. I was most unhappy to hear of her malady; I hope she recovers soon.

turpitude

n. immorality; shameful character The sergeant who had taken government equipment for personal use was dismissed from the military service for moral turpitude. Pete's turpitude was evident in the way he spoke to hs mother.

malnutrition

n. inadequate nourishment If she stays on that marshmallow diet much longer, she will die of malnutrition. Many prisoners of war suffered from malnutrition.

stipend

n. income; salary; allowance As a student advisor, she receives a small monthly stipend from the college. Retirees receive a monthly stipend from the government.

proximity

n. nearness in place or time, order Phil's overbearing voice was in proximity to my private desk, and my customers could hear every word he uttered. All the shot-put marks were in the proximity of the school's record.

renaissance

n. period from the 14th to 17th century in Europe, rebirth or revival, reawakening The Renaissance was the new beginning of art, literature, and learning in Europe. The school underwent a total renaissance, using state funds to remodel and revitalize the curriculum.

quandary

n. perplexity or uncertainty, predicament The problem of financing schools is a quandary becoming more difficult each year. The police were in a quandary; the butler's fingerprints were all over the murder weapon, but he was two thousand miles away during the time the murder was committed.

recidivism

n. repeated relapse into past condition or behavior; a tendency to return to criminal ways The rate of recidivism shows our prisons don't usually reform or rehabilitate the inmates. That child's recidivism is unbelievable; he just doesn't change after punishment.

pandemonium

n. place or scene of wild disorder, chaos When the Dodgers scored the winning run in the bottom of the last inning, pandemonium broke out. When the president was shot, the country was instantly in a state of pandemonium.

threshold

n. point at which something starts; entrance We are on the threshold of a new millennium. Libby has a low threshold for pain, especially once the dentist starts drilling!

nadir

n. point of greatest adversity or despair In sales you must understand that nadirs and peaks equal the bad and good times. The Great Depression was the nadir of despair of the 1930s.

venom

n. poison We could feel the venom of her words as we listened to the diatribe. Once the snake's venom enters the bloodstream its bite is fatal.

pumice

n. porous form of volcanic glass used as an abrasive The foot doctor suggested using a pumice stone for the heavy, rough, calloused skin. The old lady scrubbed the filthy European tile floors with pumice and vinegar.

tenet

n. position; doctrine; a shared principle The tenets of Abraham's religion forbid divorce. The tenets of the defensive line are to prevent anyone from gaining a yard on them.

repose

n. rest; tranquility; relaxation Exhausted after completing the marathon, Linda enjoyed a long repose. Nora returned to her dorm room for a brief repose between classes.

reprisal

n. revenge; retaliation; vendetta; vengeance Any military action could cause a reprisal against the United Nations troops in the area. Sam went out with Joe's girlfriend, and in reprisal, Sam's girlfriend went out with Joe.

resurrection

n. rising from the dead; revival According to some beliefs, Easter is about the resurrection of Jesus. If the entire community helps, the resurrection of the burned-down church is possible.

maharajah

n. ruling Indian Prince, especially one of the major states The visiting maharajah wanted to see how our bus system operates. The Maharajah was part of the legislature from the Gandhi State of India.

tonic

n. something that refreshes; a refreshing or invigorating drink Vodka and tonic are a popular drink in the summer. The Sunshine is the best tonic for the dreary winter blues.

status quo

n. the existing state or condition The status quo of the corporation's profit margin, neither going up or down, was displeasing to the stockholders. The president proposed a tax cut in order boost the status quo of the economy.

momentum

n. the force or speed of an object in motion; strength or speed of movement; impetus The momentum of the truck caused it to go through the brick wall. Technology seems to create its own momentum; if something can be done, it will be done.

omnibus

n. volumes of a single author or works; a bus PBS had a program called Omnibus concerning various works by famous British authors. Charlie drove many of his classmates to the outing in his English omnibus.

offal

n. waste parts, especially of a butchered animal; rubbish Near the butcher shop, the dog rooted through the offal for scraps of food. The young cheetah left the offal of his prey to the buzzards.

vortex

n. whirling mass; whirlpool The vortex of the tornado whirled its way through the center of town. The vortex of the revolution was to be found in Guadalajara.

sedition

n. willful violation of allegiance to one's country; treason "Mutiny on the Bounty" is a story of sedition on the high seas. The Confederates were sedition-ists from the United States during the Civil War of 1861 to 1865.

resignation

n. withdrawal from job or position; passive submission or surrender Lorna accepted her parents' divorce with quiet resignation. My boss has no choice but to accept my resignation.

wont

n./adj. custom; habit; practice; accustomed William was wont to rise at dawn and jog five miles every morning. It was Judy's wont to be late for everything.

rejuvenate

v, to restore the vigor, health, or appearance of youth; to make young again Helen's vacation rejuvenated her. Remodeling can do much to rejuvenate old neighborhoods and keep the city from declining further.

mollify

v. appease, calm, placate, to pacify Red roses would not mollify her hurt feelings. Gloria could not be mollified because she was denied the promotion promised her.

relegate

v. assign to an inferior position, place, exile Because of the discipline code, Joe was relegated to detention. He relegates the less-pleasant tasks to his assistant.

pinion

v. bind the wings so as not to fly; confine The handcuffs were used to pinion his hands. The falcon was pinioned so it wouldn't fly away.

plaited

v. braided, especially of hair or straw The lady plaited the straw into a beautiful dolly. She plaited her hair into two braids to suggest the look of someone from Switzerland.

veer

v. change in direction When you arrive at the castle, veer left around the wall to the side gate. Arthur never veered from the path of honor and dignity.

ossify

v. fossilize, to convert into bone, to become rigid Does cartilage ossify or remain soft and pliable? Fred's opinions ossified right after college, and his views are still unchanging.

loiter

v. hang around; linger A sign outside the players' entrance to the stadium said "No Loitering," but autograph hounds loitered there before and after games anyway. The supporting actor was on stage during most of the play, but he was so ineffective it was almost as if he were a loiterer. (n.)

posture

v. to act or speak in an artificial or unnatural way n. a position of the body; stance Mrs. McDuffy is wearing her mink coat while she postures about cruelty to animals. A model practices her posture by balancing books on her head.

proclaim

v. to announce publicly or officially; to declare She confidently proclaimed victory even as the first few votes came in. The king proclaimed his daughter's birthday would be a royal holiday in the kingdom.

utter

v. to articulate; enunciate; to say Josh uttered a plea for help in a whispery voice that could barely be heard. Roger was commanded by the FBI not to utter a word to anyone about what he had heard.

solicit

v. to ask for; to seek Campaign workers were going door to door soliciting votes for their candidate. The Moore's neighbors solicited their help in finding their missing dog.

mete

v. to distribute by or as if by measure; allot Allison stood in the doorway in a witch costume and meted out Halloween candy to all the kids. The sergeant meted out ammunition to all soldiers in the platoon.

perturb

v. to disturb greatly, disquiet, upset The teacher was perturbed by the student's lack of interest. The child was perturbed when asked to clean up a mess he did not make.

repent

v. to feel sorrow for having done wrong Ruan went to confession so he could repent for his sins. Manu people repent before they die.

waive

v. to forget; put aside He would not waive his constitutional right to a fair and speedy trial. The bank waived the returned check fee because the mistake had been the bank's.

stratify

v. to form into layers The construction crew stratified the under-bed of the road for more support. The geological rock formation showed stratified areas with gemlike quality. (adj.)

spur

v. to move to action The general spurred his troops to make one last effort to take the hill. The principal's talk on good citizenship spurred the students into not littering the school grounds.

nurture

v. to nourish, to feed; to educate; to train; to foster Mother birds nurture their young. Kenneth nurtured the abandoned puppy and kept him as his own.

protrude

v. to push outward, sell, project, jut out Nails protruded from the board and were removed for safety reasons. A third eye protruded from the forehead of the giant monster.

proffer

v. to put before a person for acceptance, offer The company's leased car was proffered to Mary Ann as a perk of the job. Carole's parents proffered a vacation if her grades improved to a "B" average.

procrastinate

v. to put off until a later time Not doing today what you can procrastinate until tomorrow is not very wise. He was always late with the payment since he procrastinated instead of just writing the check when the bill arrived.

slake

v. to quench; to satisfy a craving Ben read everything he could in an attempt to slake his desire for knowledge. Jeannie slaked her nicotine craving by going outdoors to have a cigarette.

recant

v. to take back, retract, repudiate, disavow Charlotte recanted her original charge that her car was stolen and instead said her brother had borrowed it. The newspaper recanted the story because some details were misinterpreted by the writer.

reclaim

v. to take back; to claim again The tribe set out to reclaim its lost lands. Residents want to reclaim their streets from drug dealers.

revel

v. to take great pleasure or delight; to celebrate; to take part in uproarious activities If I hit the lottery, I am going to revel in all the luxuries I can't afford now! After the homecoming victory, the football team came here to revel all night.

misconstrue

v. to take in the wrong sense, misunderstand, or misinterpret Bruce misconstrued the numbers his wife selected for the lottery but won anyway. The builder misconstrued the architectural plans and built the dining room three feet short.

rend

v. to tear or rip Don't rend her photos just because you are mad at her today! Trying to climb over that fence, I managed to rend my pants beyond repair.

placate

v. to win over, conciliate, mollify, appease, soothe Kay apologized, hoping to placate the angry man. The teacher erred in marking the test and placated the wronged student with a higher grade.

meander

v. to wind in broad curves; to wander aimlessly in speech or movement; to ramble Hikers can meander along the path next to the river for several miles. Must I listen to Uncle Waldo meander drunkenly about a lot of meaningless nonsense?

loath

adj. unwilling; reluctant She'd be loath to admit it to her ladies group, but she doesn't really like opera. I am loath to go out the door without my morning cup of coffee lest I fall asleep at a stop sign!

licentious

adj. acting in a promiscuous, uncontrolled and socially unacceptable manner; not within the bounds of morality or propriety; immoral Because of her licentious behavior and reputation, Amanda is no longer considered a good girl. College students these days are said to be so licentious that a mere "dorm mother" is not enough; they almost need a chaperone for every room.

lascivious

adj. feeling, expressing, or causing sexual desire; exciting or expressing lust; obscene; lewd She thought his comments were lewd and lascivious because they embarrassed her. Her boss's constant lascivious attention toward her prompted her to charge him with sexual harassment.

luminous

adj. glowing; giving off light The harvest moon is usually the most luminous of the year. My travel alarm clock is so luminous that it lights up my tent.

jocular

adj. inclined to joke; jovial; merry; amusing or intended to cause amusement Candice had a jocular personality and spread laughter wherever she went. Every time I went into his store, the jocular old man would greet me with a hearty laugh and a new joke.

languid

adj. lacking energy; weak; showing little interest in anything Jill finished the triathlon, but at the finish line, she languidly sank to the ground. (adv.) The teacher's languid approach to American history did not motivate the class.

lethargic

adj. lacking in energy; feeling unwilling or unable to do anything When I first got home from the hospital, I was too lethargic to clean the house. Flu symptoms include feeling listless and lethargic.

lassitude

adj. listlessness; torpor, weariness After eating three servings of Thanksgiving dinner, George succumbed to a feeling of lassitude and fell asleep on the couch. Having worked for the cannery for twenty years without a raise, Charles became discouraged with his employers and approached his daily work with unenthusiastic lassitude.

kinetic

adj. lively; active; having to do with motion Lisa was pleased when she learned that the sorority president said she has a kinetic personality. I learned the power of kinetic energy the first time I flew on an airplane.

latent

adj. lying hidden or undeveloped; potential Because the disease was in a latent state, no one knew she was ill. Jeri's parents were unaware of her latent desire to study law and to become an attorney.

livid

adj. of a purple or dark blue color, usually caused by an injury; black and blue, as from a bruise; extremely angry; full of rage; furious There was a large, livid bruise on her upper arm from her fall. The rude letter from his mother-in-law had him so livid he couldn't see straight!

loquacious

adj. overly talkative Marsha's teacher told her she would have to curtail her loquacious behavior, but Marsha was talking so much she didn't hear what he had said. I never call Jeanne because she is so loquacious that I know I'll be on the phone for hours.

ludicrous

adj. ridiculous or foolish; laughable because unreasonable or unsuitable The charges seemed ludicrous at first, but damning evidence kept piling up against him. The idea of having babies at age seventy is ludicrous, but she was determined to try.

listless

adj. tired and weak, lacking energy or interest; lethargic As the golf game continued in the 96-degree heat, Jack's stroke became listless. Deborah wasn't being lazy, but her recent illness has made her feel limp and listless.